Blind Love
by CalzonaAndDemi
Summary: Arizona lost her sight in an accident and goes to Seattle Grace to get a risky operation that only Derek Shepherd is willing to do. Callie is an orthopedic surgeon that thinks everything's going wrong for her. Arizona convinces her that not everything is bad.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I just can't stay away for too long. Welcome to my new Calzona story!  
Can I just say that I wrote this first chapter a really long time ago? Like at the end of 2013. It's like Shonda's reading my mind and blinding people. It's a bit of a different story and probably won't be longer than 20 chapters. I'm still figuring it out.

* * *

Callie Torres has been a resident at Seattle Grace for what felt to her the longest time. She passed her boards and yet the Chief Richard Webber didn't seem to promote her. It frustrated her. She knew she could do it. This is why she became a surgeon, so she could do solo surgeries and not have someone stand by her side to observe her work. The head of orthopedic surgery, Robert Chang, was a complete asshole. And he was more than just sloppy while doing surgeries and most patients returned because of complications.

"Excuse me could you please tell me where I can find Teddy Altman," a voice said that snapped Callie out of her frustrating thoughts. She stopped clicking the pen against the ER desk where she was sitting.

Callie looked in front of her. A female, probably the same age as her stood there. She had sunglasses on. Spoiled rich brat, Callie thought. Who wears sunglasses in the hospital? Then she remembered the original question. "Uhm yeah sure. Third floor and straight down the hall. There's a sign on her office. She should be there now," Callie replied as she checked the surgical schedule. No checkups, no appointments and no surgeries.

Arizona laughed nervously. "Could you please page her for me? Just tell her that Arizona Robbins is waiting for her."

For some reason the woman in front of her looked tense and uncomfortable. Maybe she just hates hospitals, was another one of Callie's thoughts. "I'll page her for you," Callie mumbled and lifted the phone.

Arizona could tell she was being judged. She couldn't see but she felt the whoever it was in front of her gazing every once in a while. She hated it. It made her want to run away. But she couldn't.

"I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Callie asked. She was looking at Arizona for a while with a questioning expression but the small blonde didn't budge. Maybe she hated eye contacts as well.

Arizona exhaled loudly. "Arizona Robbins," she replied. She hated being put on a spot mostly because she had no idea who was the other person.

Only a minute passed until Teddy came running from the elevator. Callie looked at her oddly. She has worked with her for a year now and she has never seen her run like this before. "Arizona," Teddy said excitedly.

Arizona slowly turned to the sound of the voice. "Teddy," she replied. She lifted her hands to Teddy's face. She couldn't see but that didn't mean she can't see things with her hands. "Still skinny I see." They both laughed at the inside joke between them.

Callie grew curious as she watched probably two friends interact in a very unique way.

"Do you want me to walk you to Shepherd?" Teddy asked. Arizona gave her a nod and a dimpled smile.

Callie checked the schedule. "Sorry to interrupt but uhm he's in the OR right now. It would take another 3 hours for him to finish." She felt like she just gave really bad news because Teddy threw her a really sad look.

"I have a surgery in an hour," Teddy confessed.

Arizona sensed the sadness of the other blonde. "It's cool. I'll just wait here or somewhere else where no one can see me. Don't worry." She didn't feel as bad as before. Maybe because Teddy was with her now.

Teddy sighed. "I don't know. I don't want to just dump you somewhere." She was worried. Not only because Arizona could get hurt if she would just wonder around but because Arizona was about to have an appointment for a very risky surgery that would be performed on her.

"Look I can just sit in the waiting room and pretend that I'm a sad family member and then I do my best to convince Derek that he does my surgery," Arizona tried to argue.

Teddy huffed. "No way." Then she turned to Callie. "When does your shift end?"

Callie looked at her phone to check the time and back to Teddy. "Four hours but it's a slow day so I might try to escape a bit earlier. Why?"

Teddy leaned closer to Callie. "Would you mind if she stayed with you until Derek finishes?" she whispered.

"I'm blind but I'm not deaf," Arizona said irritated. She didn't need to have a baby-sitter. She managed to get to Seattle just fine so sitting in a waiting room for a few hours wouldn't kill her.

Callie felt bad for judging the blonde so hard when she first came in. She couldn't imagine how she must have felt like. "Of course I don't mind. I have nothing to do anyway."

Teddy clapped her hands together. "Great. Arizona this is Callie Torres, Callie this is my friend Arizona Robbins," she introduced them quickly. "If you're hungry just yell Yang and tell her to bring you food. Oh and say that you're a friend of mine. She'll do anything you want."

Arizona rolled her eyes. She moved her hands against wooden surface of the ER desk and walked around it. There was an empty chair right next to Callie's and she sat down on it. "I'll be fine Theodora." There was a snort and Arizona figured it must have been the other doctor since Teddy never made that kind of sound.

Callie felt something lay next to her feet and she nearly jumped. "Oh my god." She looked down. It was a dog. Of course dogs weren't allowed in the hospital but obviously it was a guide dog.

"Oh I'm sorry," Arizona quickly apologized. She could tell what the problem was. "His name is Finn. He's calm and trained so he won't bark at anyone."

The dog lifted his head at the mention of his name and Callie petted him. "It's fine I just didn't know and he laid down next to my feet so I kind of freaked." It was a really well trained dog though because he made no sounds what's so ever so Callie didn't even know he was there until he laid down.

"Hey Torres can you sign this?" Mark asked her and slipped a few charts in front of her. He was busy because there was a fire and his center for burns was filled.

Callie sighed. "Fine." Unless the trauma phone wasn't ringing she had more than enough time.

"Who's the hot blondie?" he asked with a smirk.

Callie noticed the tension in Arizona's body. "A friend of Teddy. Bye Mark," she tried to get him away. He rolled his eyes and walked away. Callie faked his signature on some of his charts and then placed them all together.

"Isn't that illegal?" Arizona asked. She had a slight idea of what Callie was doing to charts that weren't hers.

Callie laughed. "Yes, it is. Welcome to Seattle Grace. Don't worry though because the surgeons are amazing." Callie was only behind the ER desk because she wanted to prove the Chief that she deserved the promotion.

"Are you a surgeon too?" Arizona asked. Her face was turned in different direction of Callie but the brunette didn't mind.

Callie looked at Arizona. She had to admit that the woman was beautiful. Blonde curls, dimples and all that. "I am, yes. An orthopedic surgeon to be exact." She was proud of who she was. She worked hard to get there. Arizona took the glasses off to rub the corners of her nose. Her eyes were opened and Callie managed to get a glimpse of the bluest eyes she's ever seen. She wasn't sure if it was Arizona's actual eye color or it happened when Arizona lost her sight.

Arizona could hear how proud Callie was through her voice but something else was there too. She couldn't name it just yet. Maybe because she didn't know Callie enough. She heard papers shuffling and assumed Callie was busy. Her phone let out a signal. "Do you maybe know where I could find a bowl so I could give Finn some water?"

Callie smiled. "Don't sweat it, I'll order one of the interns." She ordered the first person that walked by to get some water in a large bowl.

Arizona felt like she was being treated this way because of her health problem. "It's okay. Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't find things." Her voice came out a bit harsher than she intended.

"Hey. I don't care if you're blind. I mean.. That came out wrong. I meant, it doesn't matter. I would say the same thing to anyone. I prefer bossing them around. I'm sorry if it came out wrong," Callie stuttered trying to apologize.

Arizona stayed quiet. Damn it me and my big mouth, she thought. A moment later Callie ordered the same intern where to put the bowl and she could hear Finn lapping the water up. She ran her hand down the leash until she reached the soft fur. Finn nudged his head and Arizona scratched his ears.

Someone updated the surgical board. "Oh doctor Shepherd finished with his surgery a little earlier than planned so if I page him he'll be here in about ten minutes," Callie explained.

Arizona reached her hands out and placed them on Callie's face. "Thank you," she said as her finger accidently brushed against Callie's lips. They were so full and soft. Callie inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry I just wanted to see you in a way."

Callie let out an awkwardly chuckle. "It's okay." It was a strange feeling she had to admit that but Arizona's hands were incredible soft. Arizona pulled her hands away. She already passed the _getting to know the nice stranger_ appropriate time for touching.

"Doctor Torres you paged me," a male voice said. Arizona assumed that was Derek Shepherd. She met him before. Just under very different circumstances.

"Uhm yeah. Arizona Robbins," Callie said and pointed to the woman sitting next to her. Derek immediately nodded.

Teddy told him all about Arizona Robbins and he remembered her from before. "I'll lead you to my office." Arizona stood up and so did Finn. He was a very loyal dog. Derek didn't even flinch when he noticed it. Derek walked first with Finn behind him and Arizona followed him.

He successfully led her to his office and sat her down. "So doctor Altman told me quite a lot but what do you want from me?" He knew that whatever surgery Arizona wanted it would have been risky.

Arizona took a deep breath and put her hand on Finn's head to stroke his fur. It always calmed her down. She took off her sunglasses. "I want you to try a surgery that has never been performed before."

Derek made a weird sound. He was familiar with surgeries no one always wanted to risk doing them. "What kind of surgery?" But even the famous Derek Shepherd had his limits.

"During the car accident the occipital lobe was hurt and I lost my sight. But I did a lot of research and there is a lot of people with the same issue. You can fix it with a surgery. A clot and scar tissue formed and stopped the blood from flowing. But most neurosurgeons aren't willing to perform the surgery. Because it might do more damage than good." Arizona didn't know if it would work either way but she really wanted to give it a try. And she was hoping Derek would be to.

"I will have to think about. I need to run some tests. I need to ask the Chief for approval. Are you sure you want to have the procedure?" Derek asked. Even he wasn't sure. There was a high chance that it might not have worked in the first place.

Arizona reached for her bag and dug through it until she found the paper folder. She pulled it out and placed it on the table. "This is some of the people with the same injury as mine. I'm willing to be your test bunny because if it works you can give them their lives back." There was many children and teenagers on the list. "I was kind of hoping you would start a trial."

Derek nodded. He understood what she wanted. "You're a surgeon. If a mother would come to you with this problem would you operate?"

"Probably not," Arizona confessed. It's been over a year since she was in the operating room and she could barely remember it. "But it's different with a child. I have nothing to lose. Just ask the FDA for approval. That's all I'm asking."

Derek looked through the list again. It was longer than he would wanted. Maybe this would help them get more answers. "I'll ask but even if they approve there are still weeks of research before we can actually operate."

Arizona smiled. This was basically a yes to her. "Well then I'm willing to live in the hospital for as long as you want me to."

Derek chuckled. She was so eager. "Okay fine. Do you want me to call someone? And you know that if the trial is approved your permanent address will have to be in the state of Washington right?"

Arizona nodded. She was prepared for all this before she even got here. "I know that. And Teddy's my friend so I can stay with her while I'm here." She heard Derek sigh. "I met you before. And if this doesn't work just promise you won't give up and try a few more times before quitting." Arizona knew that if the surgery went wrong she could be brain dead or die on the table.

"I don't promise unless I know I can keep a promise," Derek replied. "Do you want me to page doctor Altman for you?"

"Yes, please." She didn't get a promise but she knew Derek wasn't a quitter. She got what she wanted. She came to Seattle to try and maybe, just maybe, one day she could see again. Or she would die. Either way she made her peace with it and didn't mind if it meant saving someone else.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Congratulations to Jessica and her husband for baby number 4 on the way. I'm so excited. Also curious on what Shonda is going to do this time to hide the pregnancy. I personally believe she should use it in a way to make Arizona pregnant. Even if she's not together with Callie she could just have a baby on her own. But unfortunately I'm not a Grey's Anatomy writer so I can't suggest that.  
I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter and for the great response here's chapter 2. Thank you.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Arizona asked insecurely. She needed a place to stay while she was waiting for Derek to get approval from the FDA and it would be much easier if she wasn't blind or if she didn't have a dog.

Teddy rolled her eyes. "I don't mind. I bought dog food and I have water so Finn will be okay and so will you. I have an extra room in the apartment anyway. And if you ever need anything the hospital is right across the street so call me." She slowly led Arizona to her bedroom and giving Arizona the opportunity to mesmerize the place. "You have your own bathroom in here too. And there's TV. The controller is on the right nightstand."

After Teddy left Arizona in her room to get familiar with environment, the blonde let out a shaky sigh. She managed to turn the TV on and changed a few channels until she got to a program that she used to watch, but now just listened. Finn was laying by her legs. Arizona turned her phone on and listened to the voice directions. It's funny how you take something for granted and then it disappears. As a surgeon Arizona never expected to get in any sort of accident or to be fighting for her life. But she did.

She heard footsteps leading back to her room and assumed it was Teddy. "Do you mind if I leave you alone? I have this case that I want to discuss with one of my residents. She literally lives above us. It won't take long."

Arizona just smiled. "It's fine, really. And how come most of you guys leave right across the hospital?"

Teddy laughed. "It's a great place. I'll be back in two hours tops."

And once again Arizona was left alone. She felt like exploring. She held tightly on Finn's leash and was making slow steps. "To the bathroom buddy," she told him and he stepped just slightly faster but still not too fast for Arizona to have trouble keeping up with him. The bathroom door was opened so she just walked in. On her right there was a washing machine and a few steps to the left was a sink. She ran her fingers along the cold metal. A step further and her shoes bumped into something. She reached forward. A shower. A small step back to the right and straight there was a wall with towels and on the right side there was a tub. She couldn't tell how big just yet. And on the left there was a toilet. And right next to the toilet there was a wall which separated the toilet from the shower so it was kind of hidden in the corner. She loved it. Arizona was hungry but didn't feel confident enough to search through the fridge. She sighed and walked back to the bed where she laid down. After the accident she learned that time passed by most quickly if she took a nap in the middle of the day. "What's the time?" she said in the phone. She loved the fact that it was voice activated and basically followed her orders.

"5:21pm," the electronic voice of her phone said.

Arizona fumbled with her phone to turn it off and kicked her shoes off. "Just enough time for a nap. Hop on, boy." Finn jumped on the bed and laid next to her feet so Arizona always knew he was there. The sound of an old television show and the comfort from being somewhere safe quickly lured Arizona in a dream world.

Teddy came back three hours later and felt bad for leaving Arizona for so long even if she told her that she would be fine. Her bedroom door was opened so she took a peek inside. Arizona was asleep. Teddy brought pizza so she decided to wake Arizona up. She wasn't sure if her new roommate was hungry but she didn't remember eating her since she got to the hospital.

Arizona's eyes fluttered opened when she was being gently shaken. She still didn't get used to the fact that all she saw was darkness. "Hey, you back already?" Teddy smiled and hummed just to give some sort of reaction. Naps still worked. She smelled food. And not just any kind but her favorite. Pizza. "Is that pizza?" she asked carefully.

"It is. I brought it for you," Teddy responded and placed the plate on Arizona's lap. "So had fun sleeping?"

Arizona laughed. "I did, yes." She brought the pizza to her mouth and took a bite. Her stomach immediately responded wanting more. "Thank you."

Teddy lightly rubbed her shoulder. "You're welcome. Just leave it here when you're done. I'm going to bed because I was on call yesterday. If you feel thirsty there are bottle wattles by the fridge. I don't like to keep it inside because it's too cold. No worries because nothing else is next to the bottles."

Arizona nodded, getting the information. It sucked. Most of the time at least. Her suitcase was placed on the floor next to bed on the other side so she had to remember to always get out of the bed on the right side. She was glad that her pajamas were from a really soft cotton so she could recognize it with just touching and that she was able to put her panties on right judging by the sewing line. All of those things she used to never really understand but now her life depended on them. She slowly got dressed and felt a nudge in her leg. Finn probably wanted to be walked. "Okay boy, be patient with me." She grabbed her over sized hoodie and her black sunglasses. Arizona realized she had to take her white cane as well. She hated using it but this apartment building had many stairs and she wasn't sure if they had an elevator. She moved around the apartment, remembering where Teddy's room was suppose to be and knocked on it. "Are you still awake?"

"Yes. Anything wrong?" Teddy replied.

"No. I need to walk Finn though. It might take me a while," Arizona said.

Teddy's voice was now closer. "Do you want some company?"

Arizona shook her head. "No, thank you. I just thought I should tell you. If I'm not back in an hour then you should worry," she joked slightly. "I have my phone with me too, just in case. And my GPS is always on." Arizona slowly moved around the room, with Finn on the leash and her cane in her hand. She found the door and opened it. "Okay Finn. Slow for now," she said.

"Arizona."

A voice called out her name and Arizona tried to remember from where she heard it before. It was familiar but she couldn't find a name to go with it. "Yeah?" she squeaked out, embarrassed.

"it's me. Callie."

Arizona sighed in relief. She didn't know who to expect. "Oh, right," she replied awkwardly.

Callie carefully eyed Arizona. The woman was tense and one hand gripping tightly on the dog leash while the other held the cane. "Where are you going?" She tried to sound casual but she was slightly worried.

"Uhm outside," Arizona replied, trying to look in the direction the voice was coming from. "Finn needs to be walked."

Callie hummed. "Want some company?"

Arizona huffed. "I'm perfectly capable of walking my dog, thank you very much." She didn't want to sound so defensive but after a few years of being judged it became one of habits.

"No, I wasn't... I didn't mean it like that.. I just, I usually go for a run, well walk really, around this time and well I know Teddy must be fried because she's been at work for a day if not more," Callie stuttered awkwardly.

A sigh fell from Arizona's lips. "Right. I'm sorry for snapping, I really didn't mean it." Arizona's head hung low. "Is there a chance there's an elevator around?" she asked quietly.

"Mhhm," Callie confirmed it with a hum. "Turn left and take five steps and there'll be a wall and a button." She decided to follow Arizona and to take the elevator with her.

Arizona slowly made her way to the elevator. "Are you not going for a walk or do you take an elevator before it?"

"Saving my energy," Callie replied with a small laugh. She wasn't really lying. Living on the fifth floor meant she took the elevator a lot more often than she was willing to admit. She was ready to push the button when Arizona's voice stopped her.

"Don't press yet," Arizona said quickly, guessing that Callie was ready to push the elevator button. "Finn, down button," she ordered.

Callie watched in amusement as Finn wiggled his tail and jumped on his last paws to hit the lower button before he sat down and waited patiently. "Aw he's really cute," Callie gushed.

Arizona just laughed. She didn't really know much about Finn except that he was very loyal and obedient and that he was a dark Labrador. Before she was able to take him home she spent a few weeks training with him so that they were able to trust each other completely. "Where do you usually go for your walks?" Arizona wondered.

"There's this park 20 minutes away and it's really peaceful there. Sometimes I go there after a long surgery to relax. Or if my roommate has someone over. Gross," Callie said and shivered. She thought of all the times Cristina's loud sex made her run out of the apartment.

Arizona heard the elevator door opening and slowly followed Finn's lead. "Sounds wonderful," she commented softly.

"I'm sorry. You probably miss being a surgeon," Callie said quietly. She couldn't imagine waking up one day and not being able to operate and save lives.

Arizona froze. "How do you know I used to be a surgeon?"

Callie's eyes went wide. "Oh! I'm.. Uhm.. Your friend Teddy, she mentioned it. She was going over a case with my roommate who's cardio crazy and sees Teddy as a cardio god so I heard she mentioned you and said you used to.. That you are a pediatric surgeon." Callie exhaled loudly once she finished rambling. God, why did she have to be so awkward, she wondered.

"No, it's okay. I just thought you googled me or something," Arizona replied, shrugging her shoulders.

A nervous chuckle escaped Callie's mouth because she indeed did google Arizona after she found out her whole name. She purposely didn't check the details on how she lost her sight but she did read that Arizona won a Carter Madison award but never went to Africa because of her accident. The elevator made a sound and the door opened. Callie followed Arizona, making sure the other woman wouldn't trip or hit anything. "So where do you usually go on a walk?"

Arizona stopped when she felt Finn slow down. "I lived with my parents for a while after the car accident. And they have a yard so walks weren't necessary. And then I got an apartment with a tiny backyard so Finn was usually there. So I guess it's a new thing."

"It's okay. The park is totally dog friendly. If you're interested," Callie said awkwardly. She had no idea how to act around Arizona and she didn't want to say anything wrong. "Do you think it will work? The surgery?" When Arizona stopped walking she realized she went too far. "Sorry, don't mean to pry or anything. I just, I've seen a lot of people reach out for Derek lately for impossible surgeries. Not that yours is. I mean, I don't know," Callie stopped talking and bit herself in the tongue.

Arizona could only assume how mortified Callie was and laughed. "I don't know. That's why I came to Derek. The first surgery was supposed to go smoothly and then my surgeon told me afterwards there was some bleeding and after a post-op MRI saw there was a clot. He never went back to take it out, saying he could do even more damage."

"So, basically he was a moron," Callie pointed out.

Arizona smiled. "He was a moron." It was in moments like this that she wished she could still see the person that was actually being nice to her and no one forced her to be. Right? Unless Teddy said something. "Did Teddy put you up to this?"

"Up to what?" Callie asked, confused. Her gaze was fixed on Finn that led Arizona down the street. She was afraid if she looked at Arizona she would think she was judging. Because she wasn't, really.

"To spend time with me? I'm a grownup, I can handle shit," Arizona said snippily.

Callie winced. "I know. She didn't say anything. I swear. I just figured, people are better than no people. But I can leave if you want me to."

"No," Arizona said in defeat. "People are better than no people. I'm just so used to people judging me. I can't exactly tell if they're staring at me but sometimes I can feel their glances and hear the words they breathe out. This poor woman. Look, she's all alone and blind," Arizona admitted. She has never told this to anyone. Not even Teddy knew.

"Yeah, I generally don't like people," Callie muttered under her breath. Especially since her girlfriend dumped her by leaving her in the parking lot.

Arizona agreed but didn't say anything. She assumed Callie's words weren't meant to be heard. "How come you were running the ER today? I thought interns and residents cover the pit."

"I'm a resident. Well, I passed my boards and all but the Chief hasn't promoted me yet. If he ever will," Callie sighed.

"You sounded really passionate when you said that you're an orthopedic surgeon," Arizona said. "I'm sure you will be promoted soon. I was actually promoted to the head of Pediatric surgery at Hopkins before I lost my sight."

Callie gasped. "Head of Pediatric surgery? That's very impressive." They stopped at the benches. "You can sit down here, by the way."

Arizona reached out and ran her hand along the bench and sat by the end to make sure she didn't use up the whole bench. "Thanks," she said quietly. She reached out to touch Finn's fur. It calmed her down. She hated asking for help but she was in a new surroundings and she was feeling rather shy. "Would you mind taking him around to do his business? I-I don't trust myself around here yet."

"Sure," Callie replied quickly. She didn't want Arizona to be embarrassed to ask for help so she brushed it off. "I'll be back soon." Callie jogged around the park. She needed to blow off some steam. Finn ran next to her but kept glancing back at Arizona. "It's okay Finn, we'll go back to her soon. Come on, do your thing." She couldn't even imagine how it would be like to just wake up one day and not see. Callie stopped by one of the trees and waited long enough for the dog to finish his business and she even picked up with the plastic bag. Now she considered herself Arizona's friend since she practically picked up her dog's poop. She ran back to Arizona, faster now since apparently Finn was eager to get back to his owner. "We're back," she breathed out and leaned over to take deep breaths. She handed the leash back into Arizona's hand.

Arizona took something out of her pocket. She touched her way around the lighter and the cigarette so she knew which end to light up. She put the cigarette in her mouth and inhaled.

"You smoke?"

"Sometimes. Don't tell Teddy, because I told her I stopped," Arizona said. "I know you're probably judging me right now, but I'm already blind so it can't get worse than that," she joked.

Callie had no idea what to say to that. "Well there are other ways of doing that. My roommate, for example, is a huge fan of tequila. Lungs are harder to come by than livers."

"Getting drunk isn't nearly as fun when you're blind," Arizona pointed out.

Callie grimaced. "I probably sound so insensitive. I'm so sorry."

Arizona laughed after another smoke. "No, I actually like it. It's refreshing. Everyone around me is acting like I'm fragile and I'm going to break. I'm a doctor. And I can tell I'm blind, you don't have to pretend I'm not. You treat me like I'm a person."

Callie chuckled. "Sorry. And you are a person. We should head back because it's getting dark and I don't want Teddy to worry." They walked back, mostly in silence. As the night was getting closer, it also got colder.

Arizona trusted Callie enough to not use the ugly cane and Finn was a great leader too. They got into the elevator and Arizona counted the dinging noise the elevator made every time it reached a new level. One. Two. Three. Four. That was her exit. "Thanks for today," Arizona said, hoping she was at least somewhat facing Callie and not staring in completely different direction.

"You're welcome. I'll see you around," Callie said and smiled at her before remembering Arizona can't see her smile anyway. She sighed to herself and watched the elevator door close.

Arizona couldn't remember in which direction she was suppose to go after exiting the elevator. "Find Teddy. Come on boy," Arizona encouraged her dog. "Home," she instructed. She walked slowly and listened to Finn sniffing in front of her. Arizona reached out and shakily opened the door, praying to God that she got the right apartment. "Teddy?" she yelled.

"I was about to call the police," Teddy joked. "It's been nearly an hour since you left."

"Sorry. I ran into Callie, we talked and all," Arizona explained. She needed to sit down. "Didn't you say you'll sleep?"

Teddy shrugged. "Couldn't fall asleep. So Callie, huh? She's really great, you know. And funny. Things haven't really been easy on her lately, getting dumped and left and she's been having issues with the Chief," Teddy's eyes widened. "Forget I told you that."

Arizona chuckled. "I'll see what I can do about it. And yes, she seems wonderful."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I know I keep saying that I'm going to update more regularly but I'm about to graduate so my time is limited. I'm doing my best and I'm thankful if you're still with me.

* * *

Callie just finished preparing a rather large meal for her roommate, her roommate's boyfriend and her best friend Mark and his girlfriend. But she couldn't stay with them. Everyone was so happy and couple-y and she just couldn't stand it. She grabbed a large plate of leftovers and went downstairs. She was used to bringing food to Teddy too. They would eat, drink alcohol and cry over their failed relationships. Callie rang the doorbell. When no one answered she knocked. "Teddy, is me, Torres. I got food." She heard some movement and finally the door opened.

"Teddy's not home," Arizona said, her head hanging low. She didn't have enough time to find her sunglasses and people usually didn't feel comfortable staring at the eyes of a blind person.

Callie frowned. "Oh. Will she return quickly?"

"I don't know, why?"

Callie wasn't sure how to say this without sounding like a complete loser. "I brought leftovers. And usually Teddy and I eat them together because my roommate has a boyfriend and my best friend lives across the hall and he has a girlfriend so they're all in my apartment being all mushy and sickening cute and Teddy and I usually eat here and gossip about them."

Arizona laughed, finally raising her head. "That sounds wonderful. Do you want to come in? I'm a good gossiper too but you need to describe them to me first." She walked around to the couch, her hand reached out and touching the surfaces while shuffling her feet. She's gotten quite comfortable in Teddy's apartment in the past week she's been staying here.

Callie could have gasped at the intense blue eyes but instead she just swallowed audibly. "Okay," she responded. She put the plate down. "Do you want some? It's usually my routine. We can pass the alcohol though and smoke instead."

"Have you ever smoked?"

Callie laughed nervously, as if her dad was standing right next to her. "I tried marihuana once. I was senior in high school and my friends invited me out and I never went to a party before that but they offered me this rolled up cigarette and I took it. Bad judgment. I ended up having a really bad anxiety attack," she realized she was rambling and stopped. "I'm really sorry. I have the worst verbal diarrhea around new people. I'm sorry."

Arizona bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't laugh. "Do I make you nervous or uncomfortable?"

"Nervous. But only because... I don't know you," Callie admitted. "Normally, I'm not all admitting-my-bad-decisions-to-an-almost-complete-strangers."

This time Arizona did laugh. And it was an honest laughter too. Not the nervous, forced one. Callie made her somehow feel at ease. "Don't be nervous. For one, I can't even see you. If that makes you feel better. Did you need anything else besides Teddy?"

Callie looked around the apartment. Almost exactly like her own. "Eh, not really. Me and Teddy usually just talk. About how bad our relationships are."

"Crappy boyfriend?" Arizona tried out. "And sit down, get yourself comfortable. It sounds like you're standing by the breakfast bar."

"Crappy ex-husband that died trying to save someone else's life and even crappier almost girlfriend that left me in the hospital parking lot and never came back," Callie rushed out. "But uhm, would you like a plate? It's really good, I promise."

Arizona sighed. Usually she would say now and then fight around Teddy's kitchen to do it on her own. But Callie was offering right? Not just because she was blind, Arizona hoped. "I guess. But not much. And I truly am sorry about your relationships."

Callie served Arizona some of her meatloaf. "Thanks. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Arizona laughed. "No boyfriend. But I guess I can join to your crappy relationships, because my girlfriend broke up with me after I went blind. So insensitive. She said, and I quote, I can't see where we're going anymore. How can you not see? I'm the one that can't see." Of course now Arizona was able to laugh about it. But at the time it felt like a really low blow. It took her months to get her mojo back.

Callie cringed. "That's horrible. So, have you heard from Derek? About the surgery?"

"Not yet," Arizona responded and took a bite of whatever Callie offered her. At first she was hesitant but it tasted good. "This is really good by the way. Thank you. And I'm sure doctor Shepherd will call once he gets some sort of information."

Callie nodded. "That's probably right. He won't turn you down. He's not that kind of a guy."

"I know. It's why I chose him," Arizona joked. She took a deep breath. "What do you look like?"

Callie froze. "I'm sorry?"

"I just... I don't mean to sound like creepy or weird but since I can't see, I'm asking. What do you look like? You have a really lovely voice and well, I'm curious," Arizona stumbled over her words. She knew Teddy from before so she had no trouble picturing her. And she knew who Derek Shepherd was before the accident too.

Callie never thought she would have to describe herself to another person. "Uh, well I can tell you that I'm taller than you. Just a little under 4 inches. Uhm, dark hair, dark eyes. I'm a Latina. My dad's from Cuba and my mom's born and raised from Miami. I don't know what else to say." She fidgeted with her hands.

Arizona nodded. "Well, right now I am picturing Jennifer Lopez but it feels like I'm wrong." They both laughed. "I know it must be uncomfortable answering that. But I just, wanted to know. Tell me more about your roommate and your best friend and their significant others."

"My roommate is Cristina Yang. She's Korean and Jewish and she hates everything but hearts. She's all about cardio. Teddy saved her life when she showed up," Callie said and laughed. "But otherwise, she's great. She doesn't pry, she doesn't care. Perfect roommate. Her boyfriend's a complete opposite. He was in Iraq, trauma surgeon, and he came back pretty messed up. One night he was choking her and she wore a turtle neck to work," Callie explained, as if it was a story. "But they worked it out and they seem to be happy. My best friend is Mark. Sloan. Plastic surgeon. He's a man-whore, or a former one at least. We used to have a thing, but it was just sex and then he met someone. Derek's girlfriend's younger half sister. It's all complicated. And she's a lot younger than him. But for whatever reason it works."

Arizona laughed. "That seems like quite a story. And I guess we all have flaws."

The door opened and Teddy walked through, a little surprised to see Callie sitting on her couch and Arizona with a plate on her lap. "Hey guys. What are you doing?"

"I came by to drop some leftovers, since you hate to cook. And then I started chatting with Arizona. But I can leave," Callie said, standing up.

Teddy shrugged. "You can stay. I don't mind. Thanks for the food by the way. I was on the phone with UNOS. I have a guy that's been waiting for a heart and lungs transplant for over two years now. Still nothing." She sighed and flopped herself on the couch. "You've been okay Arizona?"

"Oh yeah. I ate your cereal and napped and then I was talking to Finn. Very productive," Arizona answered and laughed. "I should walk him soon though."

"I can come with you," Callie said. "Need to get away from my apartment and couples."

Teddy smiled to herself. "That would be great. Callie, would you mind stopping at the store? I went shopping for you last week, so you owe me. And Arizona can go with you."

If Arizona could glare, she would. She really would. Because she knew exactly what Teddy was doing. She hasn't been a fan of public and she rarely left the inside of the house. "Teddy, don't."

"Oh come on. You can get your own cereal this time because you always eat mine and I don't know what you like and Callie can help you. Plus, you have Finn," Teddy said.

Callie really didn't want to get in the middle of them. "I can go alone. You don't have to force Arizona to come with me if she doesn't want to."

"She wants to," Teddy said instead. "Now, leave. And buy me Cookie Dough ice cream."

Arizona hesitantly stood up. She reached out for Finn and then ran her hand along his fur to find his leash. She wrapped the other end around her hand. "I hate you for forcing me to do this," she said.

"You don't," Teddy replied.

Arizona pouted. "I would totally hit you if I knew where the hell you are."

Teddy snickered. "I'm sorry. But you need this."

"I need my glasses. Have you seen them?" She couldn't leave without her sunglasses. "And that stupid cane, I need that too."

"I'll search for them," Callie answered. She spotted the sunglasses on the dresser and she got enough courage to walk into Arizona's room, or Teddy's guestroom, and found the white cane on the floor. She passed the cane to Arizona, their fingers brushing against each other. Callie put the sunglasses on Arizona. "You look very fashionable," she joked.

Arizona smiled. "Thanks. I bought them before. So at least I don't look like an idiot."

Callie realized that Arizona's head always hung low when she spoke to someone. Probably because she couldn't make eye contact and this was last awkward. But when she smiled, she looked so shy, adorable even. Callie sighed. "We can take the car to the store and then come back," she said. She waved a goodbye to Teddy and slowly followed Arizona. They took the elevator. "You sure you want to go with me?"

"Do you want to go with me?" Arizona asked instead of answering her question.

Callie laughed. "Touché. But I don't mind. It just seemed like Teddy sort of forced you to go with me and I don't want you to feel like you must go with me. I'm rambling again."

Arizona laughed. "It's endearing. And it's fine, really. I need to face the reality."

Callie led Arizona to her car. She opened the door for her. "Finn can sit on the backseat, right? I've never had a dog in my car. He doesn't get sick, does he?"

"No, he's used to driving," Arizona responded. She heard the door close and Callie started the car. "How far is the store?"

"Few minutes," Callie said. "Are you comfortable?"

Arizona nodded. "Oddly enough, I am. Just don't leave me alone, in the store. I might freak out. And a blind person freaking out is not that wonderful."

"I promise," Callie breathed out. "You seem so okay. With everything. I don't want to intrude but, how did you get used to it?"

"I didn't. Every morning I open my eyes and I still get that terrible feeling because all I see is empty darkness," Arizona confessed. "And it took me months to get where I am now. But I refuse to give up. I wasn't raised to give up. At first I started branding bottles with little button stickers. Like one on the water, two on the milk, three on the juice. Same in the bathroom. And then I learned how to read Braille, which took me forever because it's really just a bunch of dots in different positions. And I bought myself a phone that is voice activated and I can text by using Braille's alphabet," Arizona explained.

Callie let out a breath. "That all sounds so brave," Callie admitted. "I don't what I'd do if I just woke up one day and... Not see anything."

"I'd like to believe we all have something to fight for," Arizona confessed. She realized the car has stopped. "Are we at the store already?" Callie hummed. Arizona reached out to touch the door until she found the handle. She opened the door, first her cane touched the ground and then she stepped on the concrete.

Callie got Finn out of the car. She really could hardly believe how quiet he was. She passed the leash to Arizona. "I'll walk right beside you," she said in a low voice.

Arizona nodded. Now wasn't the time to be paranoid. She used her cane and moved it around with one hand while holding tightly onto Finn. She only ever felt safe with him. But she felt safe with Callie too and she didn't feel like she was being judged. They entered the store. Arizona stilled. The cold reality hit her. She was blind. People judged.

Callie went to grab the shopping cart when she realized Arizona wasn't moving. She linked their arms. "It's okay. Just walk with me."

Arizona released a deep breath. "I thought I could handle it."

"It's totally fine. Teddy said something about cereals, what kind do you like?" Callie asked.

"What kind of cereal do they have?" Arizona asked instead. She couldn't remember the name of her favorite ones.

Callie looked down the aisle. Too many, she answered in her head. But for Arizona she answered out loud. "Cheerios, Froot-Loops, Corn flakes, Lucky Charms, they have the chocolate corn flakes and then they have regular oatmeal cereal."

"Do they have the ones with the, you know, little Reese's cupcakes?" Arizona asked.

"They do. Those are your favorite?" Callie asked with a smile. Arizona nodded. "They're my favorite too," Callie admitted. When her roommate was on call and didn't demand breakfast she made herself cereal.

Arizona smiled a little, feeling more comfortable. "They're good," she said softly.

Callie looked at Arizona. How was she so sweet and stunning yet so insecure? Callie wished Arizona would go without glasses because she really found her eyes beautiful but she understood why Arizona wore them. After a while Arizona unlinked their arms and followed Finn around. "You wouldn't happen to have a favorite ice cream right?" Callie was looking at the freezer filled with ice cream.

"It's Rocky Road," Arizona answered.

Callie laughed. "After your surgery I'll bring you the cereal and ice cream."

"I'd like that," Arizona said honestly. At least someone believed she was going to make it through the surgery. Teddy didn't say much but she knew she didn't think it was a good idea.

Callie paid and she could tell that the second they left the store Arizona's previously tense posture relaxed. "We still on for the walk later?"

"You bet. I just need to change first," Arizona confirmed. "Thank you for being nice and not judging and stuff."

Callie laughed. "We share our love for the same cereal brand. I consider us friends. Beside, you're kind of awesome," she said and shrugged.

Arizona blushed and lowered her head. She really hoped Callie didn't look at her and notice. She reached to the backseats with one hand and scratched Finn behind his ear. The car came to a stop and she exited it. She opened the backseat car door on her own and felt Finn's fur until she caught the leash. They went back to Teddy's apartment.

"Oh, you're back already? Didn't you say you're going on a walk?" Teddy asked confused. She was sitting on the couch, her feet propped on the coffee table. She owned the apartment, she was allowed.

"I need to get changed," Arizona said. She was wearing jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. Her jeans were okay but she needed to change her t-shirt. The worst part about being blind was that she had no idea if it matched. She could leave the house wearing red jeans and a bright green tank top and she wouldn't even know. She changed her t-shirt and hoped it was a dark one. Teddy helped her by dividing them in different color piles. Arizona put on a white she hoped was a black t-shirt and left her room. "Is it black? Please tell me it's black."

Callie smiled. "It's black."

Teddy grabbed her ice cream from the shopping bag. "Why did you buy two Rocky Roads? I hate it."

"It's for me and Arizona," Callie replied. "You can pay me back next week. And no booze for Cristina this time." Callie looked at Arizona and made sure she was ready. It was their routine. They usually took a walk either early in the morning or later in the evening. It depended on what time Callie got out of work.

"Thank you for the ice cream," Arizona murmured.

Callie smiled. "It's no problem. And hey, we deserve one. Going for a walk every day. That's almost healthy, so I think we deserve an ice cream on top of all that walking."

"Avoiding your apartment?" Arizona asked.

"A little," Callie admitted. "But Cristina's on call tonight so I'm staying in the apartment in peace. Any plans for tonight?"

Arizona laughed. "Not using the conditioner before the shampoo is my only goal for tonight," she said and chuckled. It's not like she got asked out on dates or invited over for social events.

"Sorry," Callie apologized. "I keep forgetting. Although I don't know how that is possible when you have a guide dog and a cane and you wear sunglasses. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"You didn't," Arizona said. "I think it's nice that you forget. At least it makes me feel better."

Callie stayed silent and just squeezed Arizona's forearm for a moment before pulling her hand away. "I'll take Finn for a run around the park," Callie spoke after they arrived to the park and sat down on the bench. She took the leash and jogged along the path. Finn always looked at back at Arizona when they started and sped towards her when they were getting closer. Callie took a few deep breaths. This was a good workout beside the one she got in the operating room while breaking bones. "We're back," she gasped out.

"I heard your breathing from meters away," Arizona replied teasingly. She took back the leash for Finn and petted her dog. She felt his tail hitting her leg which made her smile. "You're always such a good boy," she cooed.

Callie smiled too. "We can go back and eat the ice cream." And they did. They walked back to Teddy's apartment, got comfortable on the couch with bowls filled with ice cream and watched TV. Well Arizona listened while Callie commented on every ridiculous move the characters made.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you, beautiful people, for wonderful reviews. I am glad you're enjoying this story. And I'm being nice and updating before the weekend so hopefully it will make the rest of the week easier.

* * *

Callie went on a date. It was her first date in months. She put on a gorgeous red dress that cost a fortune too and he barely looked from his phone. So Callie feigned a headache and the guy was at least decent enough to drop her off at her apartment building. As Callie took the stairs, her hand was going through her hair. She even pulled her hair in a gorgeous ponytail. Callie slid her key in the door when she heard the familiar grunts and moans. She rolled her eyes and turned around. She sent a message to Cristina.

 **CLEAN UP AFTER YOU'RE DONE! TNX**

She walked down the stairs, to Teddy's apartment. It was only 9 o'clock so there was no way she or Arizona were sleeping. She knocked. Once. And then twice.

"Jesus woman," Teddy said grumpily, after peeking through the whole and unlocking the door. "Well, you look hot."

"I was on a date," Callie explained. She eyed Teddy who was wearing her pajamas. "Going to bed already? It's nine o'clock."

Teddy laughed. "I'm not that lonely. Arizona and I are having a movie night. Or well movies with audio description so we're listening to them. We've got pizza and fries and donuts. Do you want to join us?"

"You sure it's not a bad time?" Callie asked. And she wasn't dressed appropriately either. "I'd go home but Owen and Cristina are having loud sex in what I assume is the living room or kitchen. Or both." She shuddered with disgust as she thought about it. "My poor kitchen," she mumbled to herself.

Teddy laughed, amused. "Come in."

Callie entered her apartment. Arizona was on one couch, her feet tucked under her and Finn laying protectively next to her feet. She was holding a plate with fries. There was a lot of food spread on the coffee table. "This looks like a lot of fun. Hi Arizona."

Arizona smiled. She heard Callie talk before but wasn't sure if she was coming in. "Hey. Welcome to our paradise. I hope it looks nice. It tasted pretty great. She was mixing pizza with fries," she said in a blaming tone that was meant for Teddy.

"You have mayo on your pizza," Callie pointed out. "I do that too."

Teddy made gagging noises. "This clogs your arteries so much. I can't wait until I have to give angioplasty to one of you. With all that mayo on the greasy pizza and all that sugar you both put in your coffees."

Callie shrugged. "I don't care," she said. She reached over Arizona to steal one of her fries.

"I can't see but I can smell you," Arizona said suddenly. "Although that makes me sound creepy. But you're wearing a new perfume. Or at least one I haven't caught yet with my super smelling senses yet."

Teddy eyed her best friend and her friend. Something was going on. But she stayed quiet and observed them.

"I went on a date," Callie said and sighed. "He was such an ass. I put on this gorgeous red dress and did my hair and put make up on. I even wore heels for God's sake. And he just kept staring at his phone. I faked a headache and he dropped me off in front of the building. He didn't even tip the waiter. I secretly snuck a few dollar bills," Callie complained. "Guys suck and girls keep dumping me."

Teddy laughed. "Sing it. Well not about the girls' part."

"You've been dating the wrong girls," Arizona said. "And because I'm nice I'm offering you my last piece of pizza with mayo."

Callie's mouth watered. She hasn't actually eaten much on her date because after staring at a guy who was staring at his phone for 20 minutes she lost her appetite. "You're the best," she said and bit into the pizza. "Oh and it's cold too."

"You guys are so strange," Teddy said. "And into the same things. And I've known you, Arizona, for six years now and Callie for one and never have I thought you'd get along this well."

Arizona laughed. "Why not? Cause I'm blind?"

"No!" Teddy argued. "Cause you're perky. And into pink butterflies and you have a little bear on your lab coat and wear wheelie sneaks. Callie works with a bone saw and breaks bones and there's a brick wall in her living room and she likes it."

Arizona frowned. "You have a brick wall? Now, that's what I'm concerned about."

"I worry about the wheelie sneaks," Callie said. "Now the bear on a lab coat I understand because it's kids. But my brick wall is fine and it looks hardcore. I'm hardcore."

"You've been picking up my dog's poop voluntarily for almost a month now," Arizona said and giggles. "So not hardcore."

Teddy sighed as she chewed on a doughnut. "If I knew you'd get along so well I would set you up on a blind date years ago."

"Is it still blind date when the person is actually blind?" Arizona teased.

"And I've only been into women for a year and a half so I don't think how that date would go," Callie said. She leaned over and took another fry. "Man, if someone told me I would ever date a woman I would laugh so hard at them. Now I don't want to date anyone. Ever again. I'm making a pledge. No more dates, with men or women."

Teddy shrugged. "I can agree with that. We can raise cats together."

"Finn doesn't like cats," Arizona added, rubbing his ear.

"You're getting a surgery soon. You won't need him after that," Teddy said.

Arizona sighed. Because she really loved Finn. He was her best friend when no one else was around and he didn't judge. "Look, the surgery might not work. And Derek said that he's still fighting with the Chief over this. There might not even be a clinical trial. Just me."

"Oh, you got a call from Derek already?" Callie asked, surprised. She's been asking Derek about the details for days now and he never said anything.

"He called a week ago," Arizona said, her voice low. "He said he's worried about the old scans and needs new ones first. Would you do it? The surgery, I mean. If it was you?"

Callie chewed on her lower lip for a few moments. "I would miss being a surgeon. I would probably do it. Derek's the best. He takes on impossible cases and somehow makes them possible. If you decide to do the surgery you chose the best person to do it." Callie stood up. "I drank a lot of water tonight so I need to use the bathroom."

Teddy motioned for her that she could use the one in her bedroom. She waited for Callie to disappear. "You like her, don't you?"

"Who?" Arizona asked, confused.

"Callie," Teddy hissed. "You like Callie."

Arizona laughed. "Well yeah, we're friends."

"But you want more than that," Teddy pointed out. "I mean she's totally your type. Tall, brunette, very hot."

"I don't even know how she looks like," Arizona argued. "Not that I'm that shallow because she's a really nice person. But I want to know if her eyes sparkle when she laughs and how her favorite dress looks and I want to cook for her. All of those things are impossible right now."

Teddy smiled. "Callie's eyes are always sparkling, except when she's like really angry and you wouldn't have to cook for her because she loves cooking. If she could she would feed the entire apartment building."

"I meant in general, not just Callie," Arizona said and sighed. "She's really freaking great but I want to get this surgery done before anything happens. With anyone. I want to see, Teddy. And be a surgeon again." Arizona never whined about losing her sight. It was a hard adjustment but she dealt with it.

"I know and I understand that. But you nearly died in that car accident. Two skull fractures, they had to operate on you three times. Massive abdominal injuries. And you lived," Teddy pointed out. "Against all odds, you lived. So I think you should do it now. Not wait until after the surgery."

Arizona shushed Teddy after she heard the bathroom door open. "I'll think about it," she said instead.

Teddy sighed, understanding the message.

"Think about what?" Callie asked.

Arizona's mouth opened but she couldn't find an excuse. "Uh, about whether or not I should give up Finn after the surgery," she finally mumbled. It took her a long silence to come up with that answer.

"I don't think you should," Callie replied. She was positive that wasn't what they were talking about it but she didn't want to pry. "I know you'd miss him and he would probably miss you too." She petted Finn who raised his head for a moment but then dropped it back onto Arizona's legs. Callie's phone vibrated.

 **You should stay somewhere else tonight. SORRY**

Callie groaned. "Stupid roommates. I need to get my own place." At first the only people visiting were just Meredith and Erica. But then Erica left and Mark came over occasionally. But then that passed too and Cristina got a boyfriend.

"Yang still having sex in the apartment?" Teddy guessed.

"Yes," Callie whined. "And I can't go home. And I can't go to Mark's place because Lexie's there and I don't really want to spend my night with another couple."

"You can stay here," Teddy offered. "The couch is comfortable but I can't promise your back won't be sore tomorrow."

Callie shrugged. "It will do. I'm not that picky anyway. Thanks for letting me stay. I really don't want to get a hotel room now."

"Shouldn't your roommate be getting a hotel room?" Arizona asked.

"Cristina doesn't do hotel rooms," Callie pointed out and chuckled. "She moved in with a guy once. And they were supposed to get married and everything but he left her in front of the altar and she continued to live in his apartment even once he was gone."

Arizona laughed. "Then she really doesn't like to live in a hotel. I would totally move into a nice hotel suit for a month or two during Derek's clinical trial but Teddy forced me not to."

"It would cost you too much," Teddy argued. "I have a spare bedroom, close to the hospital. Nothing to lose here. Plus Callie lives right above us and you obviously bonded. In a hotel room you'd be all on your own."

Arizona huffed. Teddy just couldn't let it go. "Maybe I actually enjoy being on my own. But well I do like your take outs."

"You said you enjoyed my omelet," Teddy pouted.

"I did. But I kind of didn't enjoy all the egg shells in it," Arizona admitted. "How can you repair a heart but you can't properly crack an egg?"

Teddy rolled her eyes and stayed silent.

"Oh, silent treatment," Arizona rebuked.

Callie laughed. "Who needs comedy TV shows when I can just listen to you two talk." She leaned back into her seat and released a puff of air. She liked Teddy. She was a great friend. And she enjoyed being around Arizona. The blonde was funny and goofy.

Teddy yawned after listening to another movie. "I'm beat and I have an early day tomorrow. Overlooking competition in the skills lab."

"Ugh, all my second year residents are taken away for that competition and I'm stuck with dud interns," Callie whined. "I don't start until lunch though because only attendings are needed."

Teddy stopped by her room's door and smiled. "You'll get it soon enough. I promise. He's just giving you some time. You know how the Chief is. But goodnight."

Callie waved over to her and Arizona murmured a goodnight. "Actually, I'm kind of beat too," Arizona confessed. "Would you want something to change into, considering you were on a date and I don't think you've changed."

"I haven't," Callie said and chuckled. "I'd like at least a t-shirt please." The dress was as comfortable as dresses are but she wasn't going to be able to sleep in it.

"You can go through my closet. Pick whatever you think it's the most comfortable," Arizona said.

Callie squeezed Arizona's arm quickly instead of giving her a verbal response. She went into Arizona's bedroom and turned on the light. Arizona's clothes were mostly just comfortable t-shirts and jeans and sweatpants along with some dresses and blouses but she wasn't sure if Arizona ever wore them. She picked out a used grey t-shirt that said 'Marine Corps' on the front. It was big on her so she could imagine Arizona used it to sleep in it. She also put on a pair of yoga pants. "I borrowed the Marine t-shirt. I don't know if that's okay because it looks most worn. But it's really soft."

A small smile appeared on Arizona's face. "It belonged to my brother."

"Oh," Callie said and frowned.

"He didn't die," Arizona quickly cleared it out. "His name is Tim and when he was on his first leave I took the t-shirt. It makes me feel safer and I get a reassuring feeling that he's okay over there when I wear it."

Callie smiled. "That sounds wonderful. I'm sure he's doing alright. Does he ever call?"

"Constantly since the crash," Arizona said. "He should be able to come home soon. He is saving his leave for the surgery. Said he wants to be here. I just think it's pointless to spend 3 days sitting in a hospital."

Callie shrugged. "He's your brother. I think it's sweet. Are you close with him?"

"We were as kids," Arizona said. "And then we fought a lot as teenagers but grew back close. I was devastated when he enrolled. I'm always scared something is going to happen to him and I can't even remember how he looks like."

Callie turned her head, drawing in Arizona's features. She didn't say anything.

"I'm going to bed too," Arizona announced after some time. She felt like she was being watched and it made her feel weird. "Teddy keeps some pillows and a blanket in the closet somewhere."

"Thanks," Callie said quietly. She waited for Arizona to get in her room with Finn following her and then when all the sounds died out she grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the closet and settled on the couch. She sighed into her pillow. She fell asleep shortly after but a noise woke her up at two in the morning. She squinted and realized someone was in the kitchen. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice raspy from sleep.

Arizona gasped when she got startled and hit her head right in the corner of an open cardboard. "Fuck," she muttered.

Callie was immediately on her feet and by Arizona. "Are you okay? Let me check. I'm sorry for scaring you." She gently pried Arizona's hands away from where she was holding onto her head. Callie flicked the light switch on with one hand to have a better look. She inspected Arizona's scalp and gently ran her fingertip along it. It was red from where she hit it but it shouldn't be more than a bump. "It's going to hurt for a while but it's just a bump. You should take a pill for a headache though," Callie said.

"It's fine. I'm sorry I jumped, I forgot you were here and I wasn't really thinking," Arizona admitted.

"What are you doing up at 2 in the morning?" Callie asked.

Arizona laughed and searched around for a bowl. "Cereal. Teddy's cereal. She doesn't know but sometimes I like to eat them at night. Plus it's always fun to hear her mutter into the cereal box about where it's disappearing."

Callie helped Arizona by taking the milk out of the fridge. "Do you eat it cold?"

"Duh," Arizona said. "I can't use the microwave. It's too loud and it would wake her up for sure." She found a clean spoon and put some cereal in her mouth. "Mm so good."

Callie smiled. "That's good. At first I thought someone was trying to murder us when I heard noises. Cristina could sleep through an apocalypse but I'm usually a pretty heavy sleeper too."

"I can't sleep when it rains," Arizona said and just like that the thunder was heard from the outside. "Plus I took a nap today and that kicked me off my sleeping schedule. It's so strange when it's dark all the time in front of me so I can't really tell if it's day or night."

"Yeah, must be hard," Callie breathed out.

Arizona shrugged. "You get used to it. And you adapt. I just really miss being a doctor again sometimes. And I'm not totally happy with the fact that there was a lady in the apartment in a hot red dress, Teddy's words, and I couldn't see it."

Callie laughed. "You're not missing out on much."

"I disagree! You seem like a great person. I mean you're funny, obviously smart and Teddy said you're hot. She's straight as a straight person can be so means a lot if she says that," Arizona argued.

Callie shook her head. "I used to be hot. Not so sure anymore."

Arizona slurped down the rest of her cereal and dropped the bowl into the sink successfully. "Can I try something?"

"Ah, okay?" It came out more as a question instead of an answer.

Arizona lifted her hands. She touched Callie's arms and glided her hands higher until she reached her shoulders and neck. She touched Callie's cheeks, her thumb grazing her high cheekbones. She was a little surprised at how soft Callie's skin was. And then she moved one hand over her ear and hair, running it along its length to get a mental image of Callie.

Callie's eyes were wide open and staring intensely at Arizona. She didn't know how to process everything she was thinking in that moment. " Is this how you get to know people?" she murmured awkwardly.

"Only the pretty ones," Arizona teased. She dropped her hands. "I just wanted to picture you in a way. Felt strange to still see you as Jennifer Lopez."

Callie smiled. "I'm definitely not Jennifer Lopez. But uhm, I'll head back to bed now."

Arizona nodded. "I'm going to, too. I hope the couch isn't too painful."

"It's comfortable enough," Callie said. She took a few steps back before turning around. She waited until Arizona was safe in her bedroom that she dared to lay back down. She pulled the blanket over her and closed her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I miss season 8 of Grey's Anatomy. The good old days when Mark and Lexie were still alive; Callie, Arizona and Sofia were a happy family; Teddy and Cristina were still here and Derek wasn't dead. Probably my favorite season. What is your favorite season?  
If I don't update before Christmas then I wish you happy holidays now.

* * *

Arizona laid down on the metal table of a CAT scan machine. Her head hit the pillow and she tried to get herself comfortable.

"Arms up," Derek reminded her.

Arizona raised her arms and held them on the table above her head. Derek didn't get an approval yet but he wanted a new set of scans so he could create a surgical plan. "I know how to have a CT scan," Arizona told him. She was somewhat nervous to be honest.

Derek chuckled. "I know. Stay still."

He left the room to wait for the images and Arizona released a deep breath. She was wearing an uncomfortable hospital gown and she has already been probed with needles for blood work. She listened to Derek so that she wouldn't get too claustrophobic. Her hands were shaking though. After the scan ended she was taken back into her hospital room. She was able to go home after all the tests but for now she was staying in a private room. It also drove her crazy that Derek never told her what was happening.

"Hey, I heard you're a patient today," Callie said as she entered Arizona's room.

Arizona sat up straighter. "Here for the torturing. They took my blood and I just had a CT. But Derek didn't say anything so that makes me worried."

"He knows what he's doing," Callie said, trying to reassure Arizona. She sat down on the chair, she had a few minutes to spare, and made small talk with Arizona.

Derek entered the room, carrying the scans. He looked serious and a little worried. "I have your scans."

"Okay. So are you not going to operate? Because you sound kind of strange," Arizona commented out. I mean how bad could it be? She was already blind.

"The neurosurgeon that operated on you after the car crash made a mistake. A small one. That led to your brain swelling. But it was fixable and when they took a post-op CT scan there was a tiny dark spot on your occipital lobe," Derek started from the beginning. "But after I carefully studied the pre op scan I realized it was there before. And today when you took a new scan, over a year later, it's a lot bigger."

"So it's a tumor," Arizona stated. She laughed. "I have a brain tumor and my neurosurgeon thought it was a stupid clot."

Derek sighed. "It's a lot more complicated. Your tumor grew, a lot. And now it's even a question whether we should remove it. If we did, we would have to cut out most of your occipital lobe. You could stroke, end up brain dead, have impaired vision or even seizures."

"But if you take it out successfully, I'll see again?" Arizona didn't care about side effects. It was bad enough as it was and she was willing to take a risk.

Derek looked through the scans again. "If we're successful, maybe. You had a tumor before the car crash, so when they operated they pushed the tumor further. Right now, it's not even about the trial anymore. I'll still give you a few weeks to make a decision."

"I don't need weeks. I want the surgery. As soon as possible. And I want to sign a DNR form," Arizona said. She was so sure of this. "I don't want to live like a vegetable and I have nothing to lose."

Callie was quiet but now that Arizona mentioned singing a form that would basically kill her if something would go wrong, she couldn't do it. "Arizona, wait. What about your family? You said your brother was waiting for the surgery to come home. You should wait for your family. Decide with them."

Arizona sighed. "Fine. I'll wait for another week. But that's all."

Callie stood up, her heart suddenly beating faster. She needed to get out of the room. "I'll be right back," she said quickly and rushed out of the room. She found Teddy around the corner and pulled her into the nearest on call room. "I think Arizona might die," she gasped out.

Teddy stood dumbly for a moment. "What? I think I heard you wrong because you just said that Arizona might die."

"She has a tumor. And she wants it out. And she's about to sign a DNR form. Anything could go wrong during brain surgeries," Callie explained.

Teddy sighed. She knew Arizona was always planning to sign the form if she would have to get a surgery like this. "She's not going to die. She just doesn't want to live trapped inside of a brain dead body. She's going to be fine, right? And what do you really mean by a tumor? I thought it was a clot."

"It wasn't. The neurosurgeon missed it during the first CT and after the surgery he just assumed it was a clot and would be better to just leave it there," Callie said. "I don't want her to die. I mean we haven't known each other for that long but I actually really like her."

"Like, like her? Or just like her as a friend?" Teddy asked.

Callie realized she just said she liked Arizona out loud and blushed but her completion hid it well. "You know, as a friend. She's nice. And I think she deserves a chance to live."

"The form doesn't say that she will die," Teddy reminded her. "It's just because she doesn't want to be on a life support machine. She's a donor too so if something happened she would donate her organs. She thought this through. She's been telling me about signing the form since the day she got her."

"I know and I understand why she's doing it really, I am. But she's a doctor too. Would she let kids sign the form if they were doing the kind of surgery she's having?" Callie asked.

Teddy rolled her eyes. "They're kids. Their parents decide what they want to do. But Arizona is a grown up. And a surgeon. She knows the possibilities of things going wrong. Why are you so all over this?"

Callie shrugged. "I don't know. I just... What if she crashes? But we're not allowed to resuscitate her, but if we did she'd be okay. How do we live with that?"

"We just do," Teddy said. "Besides, she's not having surgery today. It's going to be a while before she does. So she comes home today. And you get to do the walking thingy and the sunrise yoga or whatever crap you do."

Callie laughed. "We don't do yoga. Although we could. That's a great idea. Do you want to do yoga?"

"Sunrise yoga? Hell no. I like my sleep, thank you very much. But regular yoga? I'll think about it but I'm leaning more towards no. I'm more of a lifting weights kind of gal," Teddy said and smiled. "I'll see you later."

Callie hated to admit that she purposely avoided Arizona that day. She wasn't busy, it was a slow day for her, but she didn't want to look at Arizona and think this might be the last time she's actually Arizona. Talking, laughing, thinking, breathing. Callie realized her shift ended twenty minutes ago and she was still sitting in the emergency room, spinning around in her chair. She sighed and left. She went home and started cooking a large dinner. Cristina wasn't home. Mark was on the night shift. She was alone with a lot of food. So she did what she usually does. Grabbed a big plate and filled it with food. She took the elevator to one story lower. It gave her some time to think. She knocked on the door. Teddy should be home. And Arizona too.

Teddy opened the door. "Oh hey. I didn't think you'd come today."

"I didn't either. But I cooked and contemplated about what you said and brought you some leftovers," Callie said, passing the plate to Teddy with a sheepish smile. "I hope you don't mind."

"It's fine. Just come in," Teddy said, stepping aside and then kicking the door closed after Callie since her hands were full. "Sit down on the couch. Arizona's in her room."

Callie nodded. "Can I… Like go see her? I bailed on our walk today. I just want to apologize."

Teddy laughed. "I don't care. It's her room. Ask her."

Callie cautiously walked towards Arizona's room and knocked as if it was a whole new apartment. She cringed slightly. "Hey, it's me Callie. Just dropped by some food and wondered if you'd want to talk." She heard the dog's paws scratching against the wooden floor and then footsteps.

Arizona opened the door. "Hi. I was just lounging. Kind of tired."

"Understandable," Callie murmured. "Sorry I bailed on our walk today. I was working late and well, then I cooked."

"It's fine," Arizona said and shrugged. She shuffled back to her bed and sat down on it. Derek ran an MRI on her after the CT scan as well. And even more blood tests. So she was tired, but hungry. "What did you cook?"

"Spicy chicken bits and rice. But it's not like super spicy because Teddy got drunk one time and told me it made her ass burn and I figured that was way too much information and stopped bringing her spicy food," Callie rambled and laughed.

Arizona snorted. "Yeah, Teddy does that." She paused for a moment, her fingers playing with the lint on her bed. "So can we talk about why you seemed mad at me today?"

Callie sighed. "I'd rather not, but I think I owe you the explanation anyway."

"I'd appreciate it," Arizona murmured.

"Okay, so you've been here for a while now. And I consider you my friend. Best friend even. And I don't make friends that often so when I found out that you're signing a form that forbids us, doctors, the chance to bring you back to life kind of freaked me out," Callie admitted. "You're kind of a great person to have around."

Arizona laughed. "I won't die. That's not why I signed it. I just don't want to live like a vegetable or be in a coma. Plus I'm an organ donor. Beside I trust Derek and I'll be okay. Do you trust Derek?"

"I do," Callie said, nodding along. "Come on, let's go eat dinner and watch one of your incredibly boring audio movies." She placed her hand over Arizona's and stood up, tugging on it.

Arizona let herself be pulled on her feet. She felt Callie's hand sliding out of hers but tightened the grip. "My movies aren't boring. And hopefully after the surgery we'll get to watch a normal movie."

"Any requests?" Callie wondered. Arizona would be in the hospital for a while after the surgery and if things were going to go as planned she could bring a few movies over.

Arizona smiled. "Something funny. Maybe even animated."

"Animated?" Callie cringed. "Like Disney?"

"I worked with kids. I'm so behind with all the new movies. If I'm going to go back to work I need to catch up," Arizona said and shrugged. "I find it that they're more cooperative if you talk to them about their favorite movies or cartoons or toys."

Callie just chuckled, leading them in the living room. Teddy was filling her plate with the food she brought over and she was suddenly very aware she was still holding hands with Arizona. But she didn't want to just slip her hand out of Arizona's. Instead she settled on the couch. "Teddy, do you need any help?"

Teddy shook her head, unable to speak with the spoon in her mouth.

Callie laughed. "Okay. Want anything, Arizona?"

Arizona shook her head, her hunger passing as tiredness took over. "I was forced to eat hospital food for lunch and although it wasn't as terrible as I expected it still ruined my appetite." She didn't want to admit all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. But her body betrayed her as she yawned.

"Wanna nap?" Teddy asked.

Arizona shrugged. "I don't want to be a party pooper. Beside what's the point of watching my audio movie if I'm not even here."

"You can nap on the couch," Callie suggested.

Arizona knew the couch wasn't big enough for her to stretch out without leaning on Callie in some way. But she laid her head on the pillows and kept her knees close to her chest.

Callie could see how uncomfortable Arizona's fetal position seemed and moved Arizona's legs so that they were draped over her lap.

Teddy finished her meal quickly. "I changed my shift so I'm working double tonight. So I'm heading back to work."

"So you only came home to eat?" Callie asked.

"I knew you were stressed and would make food," Teddy shrugged and laughed. She picked her purse off the ground and slipped her shoes on. "You know where the spare key is, lock when you leave if Arizona falls asleep."

Arizona groaned. "I'm not a baby. I can lock the door."

"We'll be fine. Go to work," Callie said. Then Teddy left and she stared at the TV. There wasn't anything to see really, just a promo picture of the movie. "Do you enjoy your movies?" she asked suddenly.

Arizona laughed at the randomness of the question. "Honestly, I just like the ones where a woman has a nice voice. It's so different when I only hear the movies."

Callie smiled to herself. "Of course you listen to the ones with women," she chuckled.

"Like this movie for example. She has a very nice voice," Arizona pointed out and then paused. "You have a nice voice too. It's kind of sultry. I don't know if others notice but I do."

Callie felt her cheeks flush as she squeezed Arizona's calf. "I was told in high school I have a nice voice but no one said it was sultry."

Arizona laughed. "I bet you were in the choir. I wanted to join so badly but I'm kind of tone deaf."

"I was," Callie answered. "But I doubt you're really tone deaf." Arizona laughed, but didn't reply. Callie nervously licked her lips. "Can I ask you something?"

"Aha," Arizona murmured.

Callie sat up straighter. "Do you think the surgery will work? I mean with the tumor and everything. Aren't you worried?"

Arizona released a breath. "It's not like it's really news. I knew something was there, I just didn't know it was a tumor. And it would explain the headaches. I'm not scared about the surgery. But if the whole tumor can't be removed, there's chemo and radiation and hair loss and throwing up. I'm afraid of that. I've seen how weak people get. I saw kids, not even older than 10, get so weak and sick that they gave up on fighting cancer. It's depressing to watch. I don't want my parents and my brother see me like that."

"You've got friends too. Friends that are doctors and would understand," Callie reminded her. "I don't want you to isolate yourself if Derek won't be able to remove the whole tumor."

Arizona nodded. She sat up and turned around, this time her head landing in Callie's lap. "I won't isolate myself. And you're always welcome to visit me."

Callie smiled, her fingers moving to Arizona's soft hair, playing with the curls. "Good, because I plan on visiting a lot."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: HAPPY HOLIDAYS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. Or if you don't celebrate anything then I wish you a great Friday.  
I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this chapter.

* * *

It was time for Arizona's surgery. Well, she was being admitted today. And Arizona and Teddy accompanied her to the hospital and got her settled in the bed before Callie had to run off and Arizona found herself alone. Her parents were arriving soon, she knew that and her brother has landed in the states and was switching planes so in a few hours he was going to be there too. Arizona was a little nervous. She was hooked to an IV that administered fluids, her blood was already drawn for last tests and she still needed new sets of CT scans and an MRI. Derek wanted to make sure he knew exactly what was happening inside of Arizona's hand. The uncomfortable hospital gown helped nothing with soothing Arizona's nerves.

Callie was swamped with cases since the moment her shift started. She planned on visiting Arizona until her parents would get here so she wouldn't feel lonely but it hasn't been working out for her. Callie pouted when she checked the clock and realized that now that she did have a moment to spare Arizona was getting her tests done. So she sneaked into the CT observation room and sat down on the chair next to Derek. "Are the images up yet?"

Derek jumped a little, startled. "Not yet. What are you doing here Torres?"

"Just checking," Callie defended herself. "Is everything going okay?"

Derek leaned closer, observing the images. "Well the tumor hasn't grown, so that's good news but it's still in the place where it's hard to reach it. And I shouldn't be telling you any of these because she's not your patient. But the odds are good."

"The odds are good?" Callie repeated. "She's my friend and you're telling me the odds are just good?"

"Doctor Torres, are you her doctor?" Derek asked, using his professional tone. Callie shook her head. "Exactly. And I'm saying everything looks good which is great news. I planned the surgery. She'll be fine."

Callie sighed. "I understand that but what if it won't? What if you open her up and realize it's different? What if you can't get the whole tumor? What if this won't help her sight?"

Derek chuckled. "Right now you sound like you're more than just a friend," he teased but the sharp glare made him drop his smile. "If I don't get the whole tumor we'll try radiation. Chemotherapy. But we have to be patient right now. I can't predict the future."

Callie realized she has pushed Derek into telling her more than Arizona's family knew right now. "Sorry. But thank you for telling me that. I have a surgery now but I'll try and be done by the time you roll Arizona into the operating room." But she wasn't. Instead she got called into the Chief's office. She could already feel her hands getting clammy. It's not that she was scared of the Chief. But she has been complaining a lot and also working double shifts because the head of orthopedics, Cheng, wasn't available when he should have been. Callie knocked on Webber's door, taking a deep breath and then entered. "Chief, you paged me?" she asked even though she knew he paged her.

"I did Torres. Have a seat," Richard offered, motioning for Callie to sit down.

Callie sat down and brought her hand to her mouth, chewing on her fingernails. It was a terrible habit but it was certainly an improvement from chewing on her hair. "Anything wrong, sir?"

Richard calmly shook his head. "Not unless you have something to tell me."

Callie gulped. "I don't."

And then he chuckled. "I got a two week notice from Chang. He says he's ready to retire and from what I've heard you've been running his department for a few months now. I know you finished your boards a while ago and I know that Bailey was promoted immediately but I wanted to wait. So two weeks from now, not only you're becoming an attending, you're also becoming a department head. Congratulations."

Callie's eyes widened and she even squealed a little. Okay, she squealed a lot and jumped from her seat. She suddenly found herself hugging Webber before she blushed. "Thank you sir," she said. "You won't regret this." She had the biggest smile on her face after leaving the Chief's office and she only needed to find one person to share her news with. She checked her watch. It was 2.20, Arizona's surgery was supposed to start at 2.15. Callie rushed past the surgical board and to the operating rooms. Derek was still talking to Arizona inside of the operating room. Callie sighed in relief and entered the room.

"Torres? I thought I've seen you enough for today," Derek said and laughed.

Callie grinned. "I just need to tell her something."

"Me?" Arizona asked awkwardly from where she was laying on the table. She felt exposed for some reason.

"I got promoted," Callie blurted out. "And not like just to an attending, which itself would be incredible, but I'm going to be the head of ortho. Me! Well in two weeks when Chang leaves. And I just thought you should know because you're about to have a surgery and you need good news. You need to fight, you hear me?"

Arizona smiled. A genuine smile. "I'm so happy. See, I told you you're gonna get promoted."

Callie couldn't refuse the pretty dimples that were shining at her. And she did the stupidest thing she could have done in that moment. She kissed her. Right on the lips. And her pink lips were even softer than they looked. And as fast as her heart sped up inside of her chest, Arizona's heart monitor spiked up just the same.

"Doctor Torres, please stop molesting my patient," Derek chuckled.

Callie pulled away with a bright blush and wide eyes. "Uh, I, eh, sorry," she stuttered. Before she could say anything else or Arizona would reply Derek placed the mask over her nose and mouth. Callie fled out of the operating room before anyone could say anything. She couldn't believe what just happened. And she didn't even get to tell Arizona goodbye in case something would happen. Callie shook her head. Nothing was going to happen. As Callie's heart rate slowed down she smiled softly to herself. She kissed Arizona. And it was good. Dreamy even. And Arizona didn't even kiss her back. Callie leaned her back against the sink and watched Derek walk in. She played with her hands. "Don't let her die, okay? And no brain bleeds and please don't go crazy and cut out like half of her brain." Her words were low, almost a whisper.

"Okay," Derek said.

"And I know she signed that form where you can't revive her but if for whatever reason she stops fighting, please don't stop for her," Callie begged.

Derek scrubbed in. "Callie, she'll be alright. I'll update her family every once in a while and find you when I'm done."

Callie nodded. She understood what he meant. No information unless you're family. And she wasn't, they weren't dating, she didn't know her parents. She was just someone Arizona met. She made herself busy enough for the past few hours. Or tried to. She snuck to the waiting room every once in a while to see if she could eavesdrop when the update on Arizona would come. But it didn't. Callie sighed as her paged blared. She regretted not visiting Arizona through the day even if her family was here. She found Teddy waiting for the ambulance. "Hey, any news about Arizona?"

"Not yet. And I know you've been walking around the waiting room since the surgery started," Teddy teased. "I know that you're worried. We all are. You should meet her family. She was kind of waiting for you."

Callie cringed. "I know, but I'm just a friend, right? And I don't do well with parents. I get nervous and blubber and I say too much."

Teddy laughed. "We all know you're not just a friend. Besides, I heard someone got a kiss today."

"People are already talking about it?" Callie asked. "That's just great," she sighed.

"It is," Teddy encouraged. "I think you two fit well. She needs someone to keep her guarded, to keep that perkiness at bay and you need someone to show you how great life can be. She has an incredible view of everything. She's filled with joy. Even after the accident."

Callie smiled despite herself. "She's great, she really is. I'm sorry I wasn't there today. I figured she would want to spend it with her family. Her brother's here, right?"

"He is," Teddy said, nodding. "I was on a tour with him once. He's a lot like her. Maybe a bit more serious but he can tell the best jokes. It's how I met Arizona. When we were on a leave I didn't have anywhere to go and spent a few days with her family."

And with that the ambulance came and Callie's focus went to the woman that was crushed by a car because the driver missed the red light and she was hallway across the street when she got hit. But it didn't stop her from glancing at the clock every once in a while. Even when she was standing in her own operating room-

"If you're that impatient you can check the gallery," Teddy suggested. "I've got it from here."

Callie nodded. "Thank you," she murmured before leaving the operating room. She rushed down the hall and up the stairs to get to the gallery. She was sure the surgery was nearing its end unless Derek ran into any complications. Callie found an empty seat in the front row. The gallery wasn't full. A few interns and residents. But Arizona was a well-known surgeon, her research was published often so Callie found it offensive not more people came to see one of their own operated on.

"Crap," ran through the speakers.

Callie's throat closed up. Please, no.

"Her brain's swelling. Push 2 of dexamethasone," Derek said and raised his hands to wait for the swelling to go down and for Arizona's heart rate to get back to normal. "Come on, come on," he chanted quietly.

Callie closed her eyes briefly. She would never be able to forget if something was to happen to Arizona while she would watch. "C'mon," she breathed out.

Derek nodded when Arizona's blood pressure and pulse came down to normal. "Good. You gave us quite a scare doctor Robbins," he said to himself before continuing with the surgery. He was almost at the end but every time he moved around the tumor it caused Arizona to become unstable and he knew he was going to have to remove it quickly.

Callie was way too anxious to stay until the end of surgery. She saw Arizona stabilize and left the gallery. She chose to eat a late lunch in the attending's lounge and catch up with charting. Her phone beeped making her pause.

 _Arizonas out of surgery. Everything looks good for now but we wont know more till shes awake._

Callie smiled at how thoughtful Teddy was. She was pretty sure she wanted them to get together. She decided to reply.

 _Thanks. I'll stop by when my shift ends._

Which wasn't for a few more hours and long after visiting hours end. Callie was somewhat relieved she wouldn't have to meet Arizona's family. Not that she didn't want to but she wasn't sure what to tell them. A friend of Arizona? Acquaintance? Callie finished doing her charts and got paged in the ER. She dealt with a small emergency and then checked the time on her phone. Before going into the changing room she stopped by Arizona's room. The ICU was dark and quiet after 10pm, the only sound being beeping monitors. Callie took in the sight of Arizona. Some of her hair was shaved but not all of it and there was a bandage wrapped around her head. She also had a sleep mask over her eyes which made Callie laugh. She sat down and gently took a pale hand in her own. Arizona looked so tiny in the bed and her creamy skin looked even paler. And there was just so many wires around her. Callie realized Arizona probably wouldn't be awake until the next day. Which is when they would find out if the surgery worked. And it made her nervous. What if Arizona won't like her once she gets her sight back? What if this was so nice because Arizona didn't know what she looked like?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Last update before 2016. **I wish you all a lot of health, happiness and love in the upcoming year.** You deserve it. And let's pray that 2016 will bring Callie and Arizona back. I doubt, but a girl can hope.  
This story may or may not end in 4 chapters.  
By the way - I am still looking for a beta that would re-read my work and correct spelling errors that I sometimes miss.

* * *

It was Callie's day off. Her only day off in the week. And instead of sleeping in and staying at home like she truly wanted she was making her way towards the hospital. There were some complications after Arizona's surgery. She spiked a high fever which meant she got an infection. Derek was able to treat it with just antibiotics but it meant she had to stay unconscious longer so she could heal. And in the morning Callie got a text Arizona was awake. Her family was still here and Callie didn't want to intervene but she did promise Arizona she was going to be there when she wakes up. Callie took a deep breath before entering the hospital. Now that Arizona was awake she was moved to post op private room, no longer needing the special care. Callie found out that they still haven't removed Arizona's sleeping mask which meant they didn't know if the surgery worked a part from Arizona being able to talk, think and move normally. Callie knocked on the door, grinning at Teddy, even though three other heads turned around.

"Hi," Teddy said. "How's Finn?"

Finn needed a place to stay so he kept going between Teddy and Callie, whoever had time. And it was Callie who walked him in the morning. "Good, he's a sweet dog. How's Arizona?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"She's good," Teddy assured her. "Wanna come in?"

Callie glanced at who she figured were Arizona's parents and her brother. "Ah, I'll come by later. Tell her I said hi though."

"Really? You don't want to stay? Because Derek's dropping by soon and he's taking her eye mask thingy off. And she's been asking for you. Constantly," Teddy said with a playful eye roll. She walked outside of the room where they were away from prying eyes and ears.

Callie blushed. "I'm sure. I don't want to interrupt."

"You seem hesitant? Why?"

Callie looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I, um, I'm kind of nervous. Because well, we have chemistry. And I think she's really beautiful and I did kiss her before her surgery. But what if it's just like a… fling? What if she sees me and realizes that maybe she doesn't want to be with me?"

Teddy laughed when she realized what Callie's problem was. "Are you crazy? You're totally her type. And even if you weren't, trust me, she'll be surprised at how hot you are."

"Teddy," Callie hissed.

Teddy raised her arms in defense. "It's true. So don't worry. Now are you really sure you don't want to stay?"

Callie nodded. "I'll come back when she's alone."

"Scared of her family?"

Callie shrugged. "A little." And with that she turned around. She did promise Arizona her favorite cereal, ice cream and a Disney movie once she gets out of surgery. And Callie always kept her promises. So she went home to get a small food container where she put in cereal and milk. She figured she would get her ice cream some other day. She dropped by the Pediatric ward and snuck inside of the common room where the kids could watch TV and took a few animated Disney movies. So with the bag in her hand she returned back to Arizona's room. This time she was alone. And her sleeping mask was gone. Callie's heart sped up and she got nervous butterflies in her stomach. She hesitantly raised her hand and pressed her knuckles against the door frame three times. "Hi," she whispered.

And then Arizona's head turned towards her and for the first time their eyes truly met. And Arizona saw her. Her blue eyes welled up with tears. "Hi," she replied just as quietly, her hand playing with the soft blanket. "You look really pretty," she said and ducked her head shyly.

And for Callie that meant everything. "You look beautiful," Callie murmured, walking closer. "How are you? How are you feeling? I know I should have visited sooner but you seemed to be so busy with your family and I didn't want to intervene," she babbled and flushed.

Arizona smiled. God, Callie was so gorgeous. And adorable. "I thought you wouldn't show up," she admitted.

"I promised, didn't I?" Callie asked, a small smile playing on her lips. "I wanted to visit sooner and Teddy kept asking me and urging me on but I just thought you'd rather spend time with your family than me."

Arizona laughed. "Please. My mom's been driving me insane and my dad's very uncomfortable in hospitals. It wasn't really the time of my life."

Callie nodded. "So um, I brought you something."

"You did?"

"Yes," Callie confirmed, taking her things out of the bag. "So I brought you cereal like I promised. Cold," she clarified and put the container with a spoon on the tray by Arizona's bed. "And I know you said you wanted to watch a Disney movie."

Arizona's eyes widened when Callie waved around with a DVD. "Is this Ratatouille? Where did you get this?"

Callie blushed. "I might have borrowed it from the pediatric ward. But I doubt the kids will miss it. They're all about Transformers these days. Do you want to watch it?"

"I'd love to," Arizona said with a wide smile, her dimples showing off.

Callie stood up and walked to the television. The perks of being in a private room it meant they had DVD players and Callie inserted the movie before walking back to Arizona's bed. She sat down on the chair and gave Arizona the remote.

"You know you can sit closer," Arizona teased. Callie was sitting in the chair, keeping space between the chair and bed. "You can sit on the bed if you want. It's big enough."

"Eh, I'm okay," Callie brushed it off, feeling a blush coming up to her cheeks.

Arizona scooted over anyway. "Please," she whined, a little pout on her lips. "I just got a major surgery."

Callie chuckled. "I'm really glad you're okay," she murmured as she moved closer to Arizona. "By the way how does it feel to see again?"

"Strange," Arizona admitted. "Everything's a little glossy still and I can't see far so Derek said I might need glasses. But I'm happy." She watched Callie intensely as she settled on her side, her posture stiff and uncomfortable as she tried not to get too close to Arizona. Arizona pressed play and started the movie. "I don't bite," she teased.

Callie laughed nervously. She felt like she was 16 again and the cute boy, or in this case girl, asked her to help her with math and she just didn't know what to say. She scooted just a little closer being careful about the wires and tubes. "So cereal and Disney movies huh?"

Arizona nodded. "I'm not hungry though because they forced the breakfast down my throat but I'll save the cereal for later." She wanted to approach the kiss that happened before her surgery but didn't know where to start. "So, I remember something strange," she said.

"What?" Callie asked, her gaze focused on the television, not wanting to risk getting lost in Arizona's eyes.

"I remember a kiss. I mean I was pretty high on drugs already but I wasn't that out of it yet," Arizona explained and laughed at the mortified look on Callie's face. "I like to believe it gave me the strength to fight during the surgery. Derek said there was a complication."

"I don't know how it happened but just as I entered the gallery your brain swelled up. Derek was able to stop it but there was always a chance of a stroke or coma or death. And then you got a really high fever and at first the antibiotics weren't working so Derek was hours away from another surgery but then your fever started dropping," Callie explained, glad the focus wasn't on the kiss anymore.

Arizona cringed. "That explains why mom couldn't stop crying and Timmy punched me in the shoulder."

"He punched you?" Callie questioned it.

Arizona laughed. "It's what we do. Trust me if the roles were reversed I'd be punching him too." Callie snickered but decided to stay quiet. Arizona felt a yawn coming up and covered it by burying her face in Callie's shoulder.

"You're allowed to sleep you know," Callie said as she realized Arizona was fighting sleep. "You've had a traumatic brain surgery. You need rest."

Arizona's eyes traced Callie's face, taking in her every feature, every freckle. She was seeing her for the first time and she was so beautiful. "You look tired too."

"I've been really busy. Today's my day off actually but I really wanted to see you and see how you are," Callie said simply. "Beside I've been taking care of Finn and I realized he really likes morning runs."

Arizona smiled at the mention of Finn. "How is he?"

"Whiney. He misses you."

Arizona couldn't help but feel proud that her dog missed her. "I'm sorry that I made you be here on your day off though. You're going to be the head of ortho soon so you need your rest."

Callie smiled. "I'm excited. It feels like everything has been dragging on and everyone else was getting somewhere."

"Everything happens for a reason," Arizona said perkily. A comfortable silence surrounded them when Arizona realized she was cuddled up. With Callie. And it didn't feel wrong or uncomfortable. It felt… right. Which brought her back to the kiss and what Teddy told her when she asked where Callie was before she came to see her. "Teddy said something this morning."

"About?"

"You," Arizona replied and watched all kinds of emotions go through Callie's eyes. "She said that you were a little nervous about coming to see me. Or well me seeing you."

Callie blushed and tried to cover her face with her hands but Arizona took them in her own hands. "I'm gonna kill her," Callie muttered under her breath and closed her eyes. If she couldn't see Arizona, Arizona couldn't see her. Yes, she was playing that game.

Arizona giggled. "I don't know where your fear is coming from but you should know that you have nothing to be nervous about. You truly are beautiful." She waited for Callie to open her eyes. She couldn't stop looking at her.

Callie felt the intense gaze but couldn't keep her eyes closed forever. So she slowly opened them. "In my defense you heard all about me and my terrible dating history," she spoke in a low voice.

"I'd like to think it's because you haven't dated me yet," Arizona said with a dimpled smile on her face.

Callie laughed. "You're very sure of yourself."

Arizona just shrugged before covering her yawn. "I have my powers."

"Well why don't you let your powers sleep huh? I'll come back when you're awake again. Just to make sure you will actually eat your soggy cereal," Callie teased.

Arizona released a breath. "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked sweetly.

Callie nodded. She pushed a stray of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear. "Sleep well."

But Arizona wasn't satisfied with just the words 'sleep well'. No, she needed more. She placed her hand under Callie's chin and turned her head towards her so that their lips met in a gentle kiss. Callie let out a strangled whimper which made Arizona smile. And then laugh. "Now I'll sleep well."

Callie laughed too. She planned on just staying there until Arizona would fall asleep but somehow the sounds of her even breathing made her eyes droop and she fell asleep too. A knock on the door caused her to stir but her eyes stayed close.

"Hey, sorry A, I forgot my wall-" a man's voice spoke before he just stopped. "Well hello."

Callie jumped up, nearly falling out of the bed and blushed furiously. "Uh, um, hi," she stuttered finally. "Timmy right?" she finally managed to ask after she got a good look at the man. He couldn't be much older than Arizona, his hair the same shade of blonde and his dimples similar to Arizona's. The only difference was in their eyes. His were hazel while Arizona's were the clearest blue she has ever seen.

Tim laughed. "It's just Tim. Only Arizona gets to call me Timmy. And who are you and why are you in my sister's bed?"

"I'm a doctor," Callie said. "Callie Torres."

"You don't look like a doctor," Tim pointed out, meaning her outfit. "No offense or anything. And I don't think doctors always lay with their patients."

Callie blushed. "Uhm, I, it's my day off," she stuttered.

"Oh. And why were you in my sister's bed?" Tim repeated his question.

"B-because I fell asleep?" Callie tried answering but it came out as a question instead. Where did her confidence go? She was a kickass orthopedic surgeon and she couldn't answer to a man's questions.

Tim chuckled. "Would never guess. But why were you sleeping in the bed? Because no offence if Arizona had a girlfriend she'd tell me."

"We're not… Dating, I think," Callie replied. "We're friends." Tim nodded and waited for her to continue but there was nothing else she could say. "That's all. We're friends." That kissed. Twice. And were crushing on each other for a while now, but they never talked about it so they were friends.

Tim raised his eyebrows. "Okay then," he mumbled. "What kind of doctor are you anyway?"

"Orthopedic surgeon," Callie quickly replied.

Tim smirked but before he could make a snarky comment a groggy voice interrupted them.

"Callie? Timmy?" Arizona asked, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders to get more comfortable. "Timmy, didn't you leave?"

Tim nodded. "I forgot about my wallet. But I believe there is something else that you aren't telling me about." He moved his eyes to Callie and back to Arizona hoping his sister would get the silent clues.

"That's Callie," Arizona murmured. "She's a friend."

Callie couldn't help but feel just a little bit disappointed. She had no problem with being a friend but what if she was only a friend? Maybe Arizona already regretted kissing her.

Tim wrinkled his forehead. "Really? So you cuddle with all your friends or just Callie?"

Arizona shrugged innocently. "Depends on how good looking my friends are," she replied teasingly, knowing it would throw Tim off his game.

"Gross," Tim muttered. "I'm going to leave but I expect an explanation. Don't even think for a second that this marine guy is believing your lies. No matter how sick or injured you are right now."

Arizona laughed. "Bye," she said instead, waving to her brother.

Tim did the 'I'm watching you' motion with his middle and pointing finger to Arizona before leaving the hospital room. There was definitely something else going on.

Arizona looked at Callie. "Why did you move from the bed? I was so warm and comfy."

Callie smiled at how adorable sleepy Arizona was. "Because your brother kind of scared me," she admitted. "You should go back to sleep. Only twenty minutes passed since you fell asleep."

Arizona blinked a few times. She found it almost incredible how she no longer just saw darkness. "Okay. Just don't leave me yet."

Callie sat down, this time in the chair, and took Arizona's hand, her thumb making soothing circles over Arizona's palm. "I'm not going anywhere." And she truly meant it.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This story ends at chapter 12. Which I'm having a really hard time writing so I don't know when it will be finished.  
In the meantime I already started a new story. Well, several stories really. Excited to share them with you.

* * *

Arizona was patiently waiting in her hospital bed for a checkup from Derek. She just got wheeled back from another set of CT scans and she felt like she was finally getting her life back. More than that. Because she had Callie now and Callie was sweet and funny and passionate. Although they mostly just talked. Derek entered her room but he wasn't alone. "Hi. Who's that?"

"I'm Rebecca Swender," the doctor introduced. "I'm an oncologist."

Arizona raised her eyebrows. "But I thought you got it all out," she said, now her attention back on Derek.

Derek nodded. "I did and the scans are clean. But I consulted with an oncologist, in this case doctor Swender, and we feel like you should go through one round of chemo."

"A very aggressive round of chemotherapy," Rebecca pointed out. "You don't have to stay in the hospital, just come in for the treatment."

Arizona shook her head. "I'm not doing chemo."

"The tumor could grow back," Rebecca warned. "We're just making sure that you'll return back to your normal life as soon as possible."

"There's nothing normal about puking and losing your hair and all that crap," Arizona argued. "I'm not doing it. The surgery was a success and I'm done."

"No offence, Doctor Robbins, but you just had a traumatic brain surgery and you might not be able to make the best decisions medically vise," Rebecca said, hoping Arizona understood what she was saying.

Arizona laughed. "This is unbelievable. Doctor Altman is my emergency contact. I don't think she's going to ignore my wishes."

"She might not but we're doing what's best for you," Rebecca said unapologetically and shrugged. "You have until tomorrow to decide."

Arizona sighed and fell back against the pillows. She was being discharged tomorrow. And now her biggest fear was coming true. She could still say no but what if the tumor would come back? Arizona wasn't certain if she would survive something like this happening to her again. Not seeing. Not knowing what was happening around her. But before Arizona's thoughts could drift further away she couldn't stop the smile forming at the sight in front of her. Callie and Finn. "Hey boy, what are you doing here?" Arizona cooed, and taping on the edge of the bed so Finn would walk closer. "How did you get him in here?"

"Well, he is a guide dog and he's also small enough to not be seen when a nurse is sitting behind her desk," Callie said and smiled. "I figured he could visit you before you get back home tomorrow."

Arizona ran her hand though his fur and stroked him behind his ears. "You see Finn, I don't think I'll need your help anymore. But I might keep you around since you're such a good wingman." She then turned to Callie with a smile. "Hi."

"Hi," Callie repeated. "How did your scans go?"

Arizona puckered her lips first and waited for Callie to kiss her before she would start talking. She smiled into the kiss. "They're clear. But they want me to do a round of chemo."

"Really? Why?" Callie asked surprised.

"So that there's a less chance of the tumor returning," Arizona explained before she sighed. "I don't want to get sick and lose my hair and feel weak and have someone take care of me. I just want to get this over with."

Callie nodded, she understood. But she also understood why they recommended chemotherapy. "Maybe you should do it anyway. I know it's going to be hard. And that you will in fact need people to take care of you but isn't it better than wake up in a year or two and realize that the tumor is back? You're a doctor. Would you let kids give up?"

Arizona shook her head. "I wouldn't. But I see them Callie. I see how they lose the will to fight. How weak they get and tired. If I say yes to chemo I will have to stay with Teddy and she'll have to see me like that. You will have to see me like that."

Callie took Arizona's hand in hers. "I wouldn't care. I would hold your hair back or you can shave it off and we get you a nice wig. Hair grows back, you shouldn't worry about that."

"I'd look hideous bald," Arizona whispered.

Callie leaned over and pressed her lips against Arizona's forehead. She could never look hideous. "You wouldn't. You're beautiful. But if you truly feel like this is something you don't wanna do, then you don't have to."

"I don't want to think about it. Not now," Arizona said, changing the subject. "How's your day going?"

"It's mostly boring," Callie admitted. "A few routine surgeries, nothing special so far. So I decided to go home for lunch and brought Finn with me. He could use some company." Callie chewed on her lower lip, not sure how to act around Arizona anymore. Because they weren't just friends. But they weren't dating either.

Arizona took Callie's hand in hers, playing with their intertwined fingers. "Thank you for bringing him by. He's been my best friend for so long that it's actually lonely without him."

Callie smiled. "You're welcome."

"Come cuddle me," Arizona said and scooted towards the end of the bed. Callie laid down next to her with some hesitation. "Why are you nervous? You don't have to be. We know each other well enough, or at least I'd like to think so."

"You know me," Callie said quietly. "I guess I've been thinking about what happens once you leave. Because you said it yourself that you plan on leaving after you recover."

Arizona slowly exhaled, her breath tickling Callie's lips. She slowly kissed Callie to tell her just exactly how she was feeling because words failed her. Callie's hands framed her face as the kiss deepened. Arizona slowly pulled away and leaned her forehead against Callie's while licking her lips. "I don't want this to be a fling. But I don't know how long I'll be staying and I don't want to be naïve and say that I'll stay here for you. No matter how much I want to."

Callie laughed. "When did I become an adult? But I agree. We shouldn't be naïve about the situation."

Arizona nodded, distracted once again by Callie's plump lips so she kissed them again. And again. It wasn't until she was trying to climb on top of Callie that she realized how out of hand the situation got. Her body felt flushed and she leaned back on the bed with an exhausted sigh. "That was something," she mumbled, still taking deep breaths.

"Aha," Callie said and then laughed. She stood up to get some air and space between them. "Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

"You're hot," Arizona said and then laughed. "Sorry, that was lame."

Callie laughed too. "Lucky for you I enjoy lame every once in a while." She sat back down after she felt the warmth from her cheeks and neck disappear. "Do you want to go around? Maybe visit our pediatric ward. I'm sure the kids would love Finn."

Arizona smirked. "Are you trying to get me to stay by showing me where I could work?"

Callie shrugged.

"I would actually like that," Arizona admitted. "I need to see something other than this room and the ceiling of a CT scan machine. But only if you're willing to take me. I'm sure I can't wonder the halls on my own," Arizona said sweetly, battling her eyelashes.

Callie smiled widely. "Of course I'll take you."

They chatted for a while when the door loudly opened and a woman came in nearly screaming. "Oh my god Arizona, sweetie, I was so worried. I can't believe you're not blind anymore. Oh, that is just so wonderful."

Arizona sat up straight, her shoulders tensed. "What are you doing this? No one called you. Leave!"

Callie's eyes widened. This was the first time she has seen Arizona yell or be any kind of mad. A part of Callie was aroused, but another part curious as to why Arizona was mad at this stranger.

"Oh sweetie, don't be like that. I am here for you, silly."

Arizona has never felt more furious. She hated her. Because somehow even after a year of being broken up her ex girlfriend still managed to make her feel this small, like a child. "Lauren, you broke up with me because I went blind."

"And now you can see again," Lauren said as if that fixed all their problems.

Arizona groaned. "I don't want you here. Or in the hospital. Or anywhere near me ever again. How even dare you come after me?"

"Don't you love me?"

Arizona kicked the blanket off her and she was ready to attack Lauren but a hand held her back. Arizona's eyes were dark with anger and her jaw was tense but somehow after taking a deep breath and meeting Callie's eyes she felt herself calm down.

Callie now knew who the woman was. "She's not worth it, okay. And although we have very good plastic surgeons that would fix up her face I think it's best if you save your energy. If I remember correctly I did promise you Disney movies marathon and we only watched one movie so far."

Arizona nodded. "But can you punch her for me?"

"I'm a surgeon. I can't just go punching other people around the hospital," Callie said.

"Who the hell are you?" Lauren spoke. "And Arizona, are you sure you're not blind anymore because look at your new girl today," she scuffed.

Callie's shoulders slumped. She plastered a fake smile on her face. "I'll come back later." She couldn't stay in that room and really not punch her. Who did she even think she was, dropping by after breaking up with Arizona because she lost her sight?

"Callie wait," Arizona said softly. "You don't have to leave. But I think you should," she said, directing her look at Lauren.

"Why should I leave?" Lauren said, as if she was shocked to hear those words.

Arizona laughed. "Because you're a terrible person. Because we broke up and you have no business being here. Because you left someone for losing their sight. Because you only care about yourself. Do you know why I lost my sight? I had a brain tumor."

Lauren made a disgusted face. "A brain tumor?"

"Yes."

"So you have to get chemo and all that stuff?"

Arizona nodded.

"So you'll lose your hair?" Lauren whispered.

"I will," Arizona confirmed.

Lauren placed her hand over her heart. "Oh Arizona. I love you so much, I do. But I don't think I can do this. You know I couldn't handle even when you had that silly cold. It's best if we break up. I wish you the best, I really do. I hope you'll be happy one day without me."

Arizona had to hold back a smile. Because she knew this was going to make her walk away. "I'm happy," she said almost dreamily as she glanced at Callie who was trying not to laugh by the door.

"You poor little thing." Lauren hesitated whether she should lean down and hug Arizona before opted not to. "I don't want to catch anything," she murmured. "Goodbye."

The second she was out of the door Callie burst into laughter so hard that she had tears in her eyes. "Okay, I thought I was bad at dating but really she's just horrible. And an idiot."

Arizona laughed. "She's not really an idiot. She has a law degree. But I know why would think so. I dated her for nearly two years. I think I was more in love with not being lonely than her."

"Couldn't be the most promising relationship. But who am I to judge? I've been failing in every relationship I've had," Callie murmured.

Arizona shrugged. "You're doing pretty well in this one I have to say."

Callie smiled at Arizona. "Is that what we're doing? Having a relationship?"

"I'd be very offended if you didn't think so, Calliope."

Callie's breath hitched. "Where did you hear that?"

Arizona laughed and ran her fingers over the engraved name on Callie's lab coat. "I love your name. It sounds beautiful. And there must be a story behind it."

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me why your parents named you Arizona," Callie replied cheekily.

"I was named after the battleship USS Arizona. My grandpa served on it when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He saved 19 people before he drowned and my dad honored that sacrifice by naming me after the battleship," Arizona replied proudly. "I was raised to honor our country and the men and women that served and still serve for it."

Callie smiled. "That's a wonderful story. And I love that your name has a deeper meaning. My mom read a lot of books on Greek mythology when she was pregnant with me and she told me many times that sometimes only singing would keep me from kicking her so she named me Calliope after the muse. It also means beautifully voiced."

"I agree," Arizona murmured. "You have a beautiful voice."

Callie blushed. "Thank you. Okay, can we go for that walk now?" Arizona nodded and Callie helped Arizona get out of bed and linked their arms together. Arizona took Finn's leash and the dog walked slowly by her side with his tail wiggling.

Arizona was in awe of the pediatric department in this hospital. Or maybe it was because she hasn't seen one in so long. But it seemed huge and there were plush animals everywhere. "Am I allowed to walk around here?"

"Let's hope so," Callie replied teasingly as she pushed open the door of the post-operative care. "I think it's okay to be here."

As they walked further Arizona's eyes moved from one room to the other, watching children get excited and forget about their pain. The ones that could walk greeted Finn in the hallway.

"Mommy why are they so loud?" a little girl asked. She couldn't have been older than five. Her head was hung low though which immediately alarmed Arizona and let her know of the condition the girl had.

"There's a dog in the hallway. Do you want to go meet him?" the mom asked politely. And usually her daughter would excitedly run towards an animal, but not today.

Arizona gently tugged on Finn's leash and brought the dog to the girl. Callie however had no idea what Arizona heard so the whole situation made her confused. "Hi, I'm doctor Robbins," Arizona said sweetly, kneeling next to the girl and taking a small hand in hers.

"Are you my doctor?" the girl asked frightened.

Arizona laughed. And it sounded like a harmony. "No. For now I'm a patient at this hospital. But I have this beautiful black Labrador with me and I'm sure he would love it if you could pet him. His name is Finn."

"I'm Alice," the girl said shyly. She reached her hand out and searched around with it until she found the soft fur. "He's warm," she giggled. "And hairy."

Arizona smiled. "Do you want to hear his secret?" Alice nodded. "He's a guide dog. Which means that he knows special tricks like how to press buttons and he knows that he can only cross the road when the light is green. He's very smart."

"How come?" Alice asked in that childlike curiosity that made Arizona always so happy.

"I was in a really bad accident a year ago," Arizona admitted. "And something happened that made me unable to see. And that's when I got Finn, so he could take care of me when I couldn't."

"I can't see either," the little girl admitted sadly. "Mommy said that an icky tumor is in my head and they can't remove it all. I want a dog like Finn."

Arizona licked her lips and surprised even herself by what she said next. "If your mommy is okay with it and if you really like Finn, maybe you could keep him."

"I could? Mommy?"

Arizona nervously glanced at the girl's mom. She just threw a huge bomb on this child and her parent. Simply because she couldn't resist offering. The mom however smiled. "We always did talk about getting a dog. And he certainly wouldn't pee on the rug or chew shoes. But are you sure you want to give up your dog?"

Arizona looked at Finn. She loved him. He was her hero. But he was trained to help people and she didn't need his help anymore. "I'm sure. He's going to understand. And he will love someone playing with him." They exchanged numbers so Arizona could drop by the rest of Finn's belongings and then she stood up and hovered by the door for a few minutes just in case someone would change their mind. But Finn was excited about his new tiny owner and the girl was giggling and smiling. Arizona sighed, a little sadly.

Callie led Arizona back to her room and hugged her. Hugged her because in her eyes Arizona was the most selfless, most beautiful person in this world. "That was so incredible. And I hate to say it but it made me tear up. I know you're going to miss him."

Arizona smiled, her face buried in Callie's shoulder. "He's been my best friend. But I don't think I need him anymore."

"Oh really?" Callie asked playfully. "And why is that?"

"I have you now," Arizona said sweetly, smiling widely and making her dimples show off.

Callie smiled back, how could she not. "You do," she promised. She brought her lips to Arizona's right dimple and gently kissed it and then did the same to her left dimple before she finally brought their lips together for a sweet kiss. When they pulled away she took Arizona's hand in hers and helped her get back into bed. "You need to rest up because you're getting discharged tomorrow."

Arizona took a deep breath, nervous at what she was about to reveal. "I start chemo tomorrow. I know I said I didn't want to do it and I'm still not sure whether it's the right thing to do but something tells me I want to be around for a really long time."

"I'm not going to leave your side," Callie promised. "You're still staying with Teddy right?" Arizona nodded. "Good. It means you're close so I can stop by whenever I want." She kissed Arizona's forehead. "I need to go back to work. But I'll see you tomorrow."

Arizona nodded, small smile on her lips as she pulled the blanket up to her neck. "I'll see you tomorrow," she repeated. "Calliope," she breathed out before closing her eyes.

Nothing could explain the rush of butterflies in Callie's stomach when she heard her full name being whispered by Arizona.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you for the patience you have with me. I am doing my best but Christmas break is over and school has to be a priority. Unfortunately.

* * *

Arizona started chemotherapy immediately after she was discharged. The first two days went by okay and Arizona didn't feel any different but then the third day came and she was barely able to get out of bed. There was a bowl by her bed in case she couldn't make it to the bathroom. She knew that the treatment she was receiving was fairly aggressive but Arizona was surprised at just how terrible she was feeling. Teddy helped her out the first day but then took up extra shifts so Arizona had some alone time even though her mom stayed in the apartment most of the time.

Callie knocked on the door of Teddy's apartment. She promised she was going to be there for Arizona and up until now she always came to pick her up, stay with her during chemo session and then take her back home. But this was the first time she came face to face with Arizona's mom.

"Oh, you must be Callie," the older woman said excitedly. "I'm Barbara Robbins."

Callie managed a nervous smile. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Robbins. I'm Callie Torres," she introduced herself politely and offered her a hand to shake it.

"Oh, just call me Barbara," the woman said and waved her hand. "Arizona has been telling me all about you. You're such a wonderful friend. I'm afraid Arizona hasn't been feeling well today though. I gave her some of that medicine but it didn't seem to work and she hasn't come out of her room yet."

Callie frowned. When she sent a message to Arizona in the morning she got one back almost instantly and it felt like Arizona was okay. "Would you mind if I went inside to check on her?"

"Of course not," Barbara said with a smile.

Callie walked towards the door and knocked on it a few times. But no answer came so she walked in, unsure of what to expect. "Arizona?" she called out before the horrible sound of puking reached her ears. She walked in the bathroom. "Oh baby," she murmured suddenly, dropping on her knees and holding Arizona's hair back.

"Go away," Arizona cried out. "I don't want you to see me like this."

Callie felt a little rejected but she knew it wasn't personal. "I know but I'm going to hold you even if you resist. How long has this been going on for?"

Arizona wiped her mouth with the toilet paper and flushed before leaning, well really just falling, back in Callie's arms in exhaustion. "Since I woke up. So about five hours. I don't want to do this anymore."

"You're already half done," Callie tried soothing her. She placed a kiss on Arizona's sweaty forehead. "Do you think you can get to bed? We still need to get you to the hospital but I think we can post pone it for a couple of hours."

Arizona could have cried if she wasn't so exhausted. "I'm not doing it anymore. I haven't slept and I feel gross and if I stand up I'm going to throw up again which is insane because I haven't eaten anything either."

"Have you drank?" Callie asked, concerned.

"Some water and tea."

Callie stood up and picked Arizona in her arms and carried her to the bed where she gently laid her down. "I'm going to get you a cold washcloth okay?" she said softly before returning to the bathroom. She wetted the washcloth with cold water and placed it on Arizona's forehead. "You're doing really well. You just need to fight some more."

Arizona only hummed, too tired to say anything. She wanted to do this and get it over with. She wanted to do it for Callie. "Thank you," she rasped out, her eyes falling shut from the way Callie was playing with her hair. So gently and lovingly.

Callie kissed her cheek. "You're welcome." She waited until Arizona fell asleep and then she left her bedroom, closing the door very quietly.

"Is she asleep?"

Callie jumped, her eyes wide. "Oh, sorry Mrs. Robbins," she squeaked out. "I forgot you were here. She's sleeping."

"I told you to call me Barbara," Barbara said with a small smile.

Callie nodded, her heart still thumping quickly against her chest. "I'm going to make Arizona a chicken soup. She could use some fluids and nutrition. Would you mind if I cooked here?"

"Of course I wouldn't. Do you need any help?" Barbara asked politely.

Callie shrugged. "If you want to. But I can finish it rather quickly on my own." She didn't know what Arizona said to her mom about their relationship. And she really just wanted to seem like a great friend. When the soup was cooking on the stove she sent a text message to Arizona's oncologist saying that they might be a few hours late because Arizona wasn't feeling well.

"It smells delicious. When did you learn how to cook so well?" Barbara asked, interested in this friend of Arizona. Although she was almost certain she was more than just a friend.

Callie blushed. "Thank you. I've always enjoyed cooking. Ever since I was a little girl. I would help Jorge in the kitchen and even though my mom wasn't happy I was hanging out with the chef she learned to ignore it," Callie admitted, giving out her family information which made her feel just a little terrified. She didn't want to seem like a spoiled, rich brat even if she did grew up privileged.

"So you come from a wealthy family?" Barbara concluded.

"I do, yes. But I moved out when I was 18 and went to college in a different side of the country. Then I joined Peace Corps and I spent 4 years in Botswana. My dad has always been proud that I enjoy helping others but my mom feels like it's a waste of money and time. But I loved it over there and it taught me a lot. When I came back I applied to med school," Callie blabbered nervously. She wished this soup would be finished faster so she could stop getting drilled. Even though a part of her understood Barbara just wanted to get to know her.

Barbara nodded. "That sounds lovely. I volunteered as a nurse in Peace Corps once. Some people have it so hard."

"I think the most satisfactory feeling I got was when we finished building a school and a small hospital. And we immediately got calls from teachers that were willing to teach and doctors and nurses and technicians that wanted to work in that hospital even though that the salary was pretty low. And the children there. We built a water reservoir in the center of the village so women didn't have to walk miles anymore," Callie gushed about her experiences with Peace Corps. Sometimes she wanted to sign up again and go back just to see how much has changed.

"Tell me something," Barbara said suddenly. "Are you dating my little Arizona? She's been so secretive lately and after blowing off Lauren I figured she might have someone else. That woman hurt her so much."

Callie laughed nervously. "We are dating," she admitted. "But we haven't really talked about it that much, I just promised her I was going to help her with chemo and stuff."

Barbara nodded. "The soup is done so it's best if you give it to her now."

Callie smiled and grabbed a small bowl from the cupboard?. She poured some soup in it and grabbed a spoon. She opened the door to Arizona's room and was glad she was still sleeping. She needed the rest. But it also meant she had to wake her up now. She set the bowl and spoon on the nightstand. "Arizona," Callie murmured and gently rubbed her cheek. She didn't want to shake her in case it would make Arizona sick again.

Arizona stretched and moaned but didn't open her eyes.

Callie softly kissed her forehead. "Wake up. I made you a soup. Actually, your mom and I made you a soup. As in together."

Arizona opened her eyes. "Huh?"

"Your mom and I made you a soup," Callie repeated. "I hope it's going to make you feel better."

Arizona sat up. "I am feeling kind of hungry," she admitted. "And I'm not as tired anymore." There was a smile on her face now. "Thank you for taking care of me."

Callie smiled back. "You're welcome." She passed Arizona the bowl. "I didn't want to add noodles in case it would make you sick but this should restore the fluids and make you warm."

Arizona slurped down the soup rather quickly and sighed in content. She felt full and warm so she scooted back on the bed and laid her head on the pillow.

"I postponed your appointment at the hospital," Callie said and tensed up. "I know you don't want to go and that you had a bad day but I don't think you should stop now."

Arizona sighed, playing with the warm blanket. "I know. And I do want to end this as soon as possible but I don't think I have the fight in me. Maybe it won't grow back."

"Maybe," was all Callie said. "I'm going to wash this up and be right back and then I have to go back to work," Callie said. She grabbed the bowl and the spoon and went in the kitchen. She quickly washed it up and dried it before placing it back where she got it from. Callie wasn't sure whether Arizona was going to actually skip her appointment or not and when she entered her room she felt horrible. Because the same sound met her ears that it did when she first got in here today. "I'm sorry," Callie apologized.

Arizona blamed the soup. And she blamed her mom and Callie for making it. "Go away. I mean it!" she practically screamed at Callie before hovering over the toilet again and throwing up in it. Her stomach was still clenching when she managed to take a deep breath. "Leave," she said again, this time her voice raspy and weak.

"I'm not leaving you Arizona," Callie said and hoped she was sounding sure and confident even if her voice was shaky.

"I want you to go! Go back to work. Just go."

"You don't mean it," Callie said, her confidence disappearing. "You're just feeling bad."

"Because of you. You gave me that soup. You made me sick. Now leave or I'll make someone leave you," Arizona ordered before her eyes widened and she was throwing up once again.

Callie sighed. "I'm sorry," she uttered before leaving the bathroom and then the bedroom in a rush. She couldn't even say anything to Barbara because she knew she would cry in front of her and she didn't want to sink that low. She left the apartment and leaned against the wall, tears burning in her eyes. But she refused to let them fall. Arizona was angry. Callie would be angry too. And it wasn't something she was going to hold against her.

It was a few days later that Arizona was feeling better. She got a prescription for anti-nausea medicine which helped and she didn't feel as tired all the time. But as Arizona was brushing her hair in the morning she realized a big chunk of it was in the hairbrush. She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued with her day. She hasn't seen Callie since she yelled at her. And while she felt terrible she didn't want to make Callie feel like she needed to take care of her just because they were together now. So she pushed her away. Which didn't please her mom.

"Arizona, honey, why hasn't that beautiful girlfriend of yours been over in a while?" Barbara asked curiously. She heard the fight. But she didn't mention she knew to Arizona. She learned that her daughter liked to tell things in her own pace.

Arizona sighed. "Because I yelled at her and told her not to come over. I feel horrible but I don't want to beg. Beside, I've only started feeling better and I don't know why I got so mad at her."

"You should call her," Barbara encouraged.

"If I call her and apologize she is going to be the one feeling bad because I had a tumor and am going through chemo," Arizona admitted her fear. "And I don't want her to feel bad."

Barbara hugged her daughter. "If she likes you she won't care. And she doesn't seem someone that wouldn't understand. She was very sweet and you should give her a chance."

Arizona nodded. "I know mom. I'll call her, okay?" Barbara smiled excitedly. Arizona went back in her room. She was too nervous to call so instead she just sent a text message.

 **Hi. Want to come over? We can talk and I can apologize for being an ass.**

Arizona waited for a reply but she never got one. Instead, twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Arizona was just on her way to the kitchen to get a snack and decided to open the door, revealing nervous but absolutely stunning Callie Torres. "Hi," Arizona breathed out, her hand playing with the doorknob.

Callie managed to smile at Arizona. How could she not when she looked so beautiful with her glasses. "Hey," she murmured. Long pause filled their silence. "You wanted to talk," Callie finally blurted out.

"I did," Arizona said and nodded. "Come in." She took Callie's hand in hers and a wave of relief washed over her when Callie didn't pull her hand away. She led Callie in her bedroom and closed the door behind her. "Do you want to sit down?"

Callie nodded but stayed quiet.

Arizona fidgeted with her hands for a while before finally speaking up. "I'm so sorry for the way I treated you. I know you were just trying to help me and it was so lovely of you to make me soup and I know it doesn't change anything but I was just really agitated by feeling so sick and weak. I don't like it when others have to take care of me."

Callie scooted just a little bit closer to Arizona, but with space still between them. "I'm sorry I left so quickly instead of staying with you. I shouldn't have ran away."

Arizona shook her head. "You didn't. I yelled at you to leave. I'm sorry for being so rude to you."

"In that case, I forgive you," Callie said, her shoulders relaxing. "You look really pretty with glasses," she admitted. She reached up and gently stroked Arizona's cheek. Callie was shocked by the electricity between them.

Arizona flushed. "Thank you." She moved her eyes between Callie's lips and her gorgeous brown orbs but before she could lean in for a kiss she was stopped.

"Wait," Callie murmured. "I just… Need to know something first. Have you been going to your appointments?"

"I went every day. Teddy would never let me skip one," Arizona admitted. "Thank you for caring."

Callie smiled. "Always." And with that their conversation was over and Arizona's lips were attacking hers. Callie gasped from the sudden movement but moved her hands to Arizona's hips that were now straddling her. Callie felt herself being pushed back until she was laying on her back, Arizona still on top. Her hands moved to Arizona's hair, gently tugging on it before she pulled away, her mouth opened and eyes panicky.

Arizona gulped as she realized what Callie noticed. "It's okay," she said, though her voice sounded small and scared. "It started yesterday."

Callie nodded, her hand shaky. She looked down to her hand where a chunk of Arizona's hair was. She didn't know what to say. Or do.

"I think it's freaking you out more than me," Arizona said. Her heart was racing but she remained calm. Callie however seemed to be unable to move her eyes away from the hair. "Calliope," Arizona said quietly.

Callie's eyes snapped towards Arizona's face. "Sorry," she uttered awkwardly. She threw the hair in the bin.

"Callie," Arizona breathed out. "Do you want to cut my hair?"

"What?" Callie asked loudly.

Arizona laughed. "Would you shave my head?" she worded her question differently.

"Are you sure?" Callie asked. "Because if I do it, we can't undo it."

"I know," Arizona said and nodded. "Just sit down for a moment, you seem so tense." Callie sat down next to her. "Kiss me," Arizona whispered.

Callie's eyes traced every feature on Arizona's face before she leaned in and gently sucked on Arizona's lower lip. Callie found her new drug and it was definitely kissing Arizona. She instantly relaxed and couldn't help back a moan when Arizona deepened the kiss.

Arizona eventually pulled away. "Are you feeling better?"

Callie chuckled. "Thank you."

"I'm freaking out too," Arizona admitted. "And I'm terrified at all the changes that are happening to me right now. But I know that I'm going to be fine. As long as I have you by my side."

"I'm not leaving. Even if you yell," Callie promised which made both of them laugh. "Are you really sure about shaving your hair off?"

"I'm sure. If I don't do it, they'll fall out anyway," Arizona shrugged. "I'm just speeding up the process."

Callie nodded. "Okay. So we do it in the bathroom?"

"It'd be best," Arizona said and they walked in the bathroom. "There's a shaver in the medical cabinet. I don't know why Teddy has it and I don't want to ask in case she'll say something gross."

Callie laughed and grabbed the shaver. She turned it on to make sure the batteries worked. "Okay. Last chance to back down," Callie warned.

"Nope," Arizona replied. "I need to do this. And thank you for doing it with me."

Callie took a deep breath before turning the shaver on once again. She positioned it against Arizona's neck and closed her eyes as she made the first move.

"Why are your eyes closed?" Arizona asked, catching Callie's reflection in the mirror in front of her. "I don't want to have my ear cut off."

Callie laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't do it again." She carefully shaved Arizona's hair off. It made her feel a little bit guilty and sad. She was taking away a part of Arizona. But she didn't focus on that. She stayed quiet as she continued shaving Arizona's hair off. She watched blonde curls hit the bathroom floor until there was no hair left. She turned off the shaver and looked in the mirror.

Arizona swallowed audibly at the sight of her bare head. It was frightening and she felt self-conscious. But when her eyes met Callie's through the mirror she found nothing but love and some nervousness in them. "Did you get it all?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Yeah," Callie replied quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"A little shocked. But I'm okay. How does it look?" Arizona asked nervously. She felt so silly now for just wearing glasses and a bald head. But what Callie did, surprised her.

Callie leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head as if it would break any moment now. "You're just as beautiful as before."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I have binge watched a show called The 100 and I am in love. The storyline and the plot twists and all the badass ladies in lead roles. My kind of show. If you haven't seen it you definitely should. It involves two pretty girls kissing. ;)  
Only two chapters left. I'm sad but excited.

* * *

Arizona officially finished with chemotherapy. The aggressive chemo was hard on everyone but Arizona was finally able to relax. She was exhausted. And mostly cranky. She always covered her head with a beanie, scarf or a bandanna. Arizona was still contemplating whether to go home with her parents or stay longer. She wanted to be with Callie all the time. She missed her when Callie was at work. She sometimes even craved Callie at night but they haven't spent the night together yet. Nor did they go any further than kissing which irritated Arizona. She used to be someone who slept with the girl on the third date. Maybe even second if the girl was really attractive. But now she hasn't even been on a public date with Callie yet.

"Teddy!" Arizona whisper yelled at her friend's sleeping body before roughly shaking her. "Wake up."

Teddy groaned and opened her eyes, squinting at her alarm clock. "It's 6:30 in the morning on Saturday. What are you doing?"

"I can't sleep," Arizona admitted and laid down on the bed, although on the covers while Teddy was still wrapped in her blanket. "I woke up half an hour ago and I tried to find a good way how to ask Callie out on a date. Or more exactly, where. And then I started thinking about what I would wear and how I would cover up my bald head and that's when I decided to wake you up.

"Seriously?" Teddy whined. "You woke me up because you don't know what to wear on your date with Callie even though you haven't even asked her on one yet?"

Arizona nodded. "I know, I know. It's silly and stupid but I can't help but stress over it. I'm sorry I woke you up."

Teddy groaned into her pillow and then rolled over on her back. "Okay, so do you have a plan or did you wake me up without one?"

"I have sort of a plan," Arizona replied. "I want to take her out on a nice meal. Romantic, sweet. In a popular restaurant. And maybe afterwards we could come back and watch a movie."

"No loud sex," Teddy immediately warned.

Arizona cringed. "We're not going to have sex. I don't feel very sexy right now and I want to be able to completely enjoy it when I do finally sleep with her. I was just thinking we could cuddle."

"Aw, you've grown," Teddy teased. "I say, since you're already up you could make me breakfast and some hot coffee. To make up for the fact that today was my sleep in day."

Arizona shrugged unapologetically. "Eggs and bacon?"

"Yum," Teddy agreed.

Arizona nodded and went in the kitchen. She has missed cooking. Missed being able to take care of herself. She made them breakfast while listening to soft tunes from the radio. She couldn't work in silence. She also brew some coffee. Teddy loved hot coffee more than anything else. She finished with breakfast and set it on the table just as Teddy left her bedroom. "Good morning," she said, chipper.

Teddy laughed. "Morning. I should make you cook breakfast for me every morning."

"Well after breakfast I need your help. I need a name of a great romantic restaurant or something like that. I don't want to take her to the movies and she deserves more than staying in," Arizona gushed.

"Ugh, your love makes me sick," Teddy growled as she attacked her bacon with her fork.

Arizona shrugged. "You could always date, you know. You're a beautiful woman and if you feel like you're done with men, I know some great ladies that would date you."

Teddy laughed. "No, thank you. I'm still straight even if my love life sucks."

"I know some guys too," Arizona said. "Just be willing to go on a date with him."

"So you already have one in mind?" Teddy asked, just a little intrigued.

Arizona grinned. "Yup. His name is Henry and he's a buddy of Tim. He used to be a professional softball player. He's funny and easy on the eyes, probably. Just one day and if you don't like him I'll never say another word."

Teddy hummed. "Well, I do like the part of you never saying another word," she teased but then Arizona elbowed her in her sides. "Geez, I could have choked while I'm eating."

"Can we please go back to me and my date now?" Arizona requested, anxious. "I don't know what to wear. Or what to do with this." She motioned over her head.

"You could always wear a scarf," Teddy said. "Or get a wig. But I don't think you should hide yourself. Callie doesn't mind or care that you're bald. And I'm sure if someone else would look at you the wrong way, she would kick their ass. She has a temper."

Arizona laughed. "I bet she's hot when she's mad."

"She starts speaking in Spanish," Teddy confessed. "Like crazy Spanish that my five years of Spanish classes don't understand."

Arizona smirked. "Hot," she muttered.

Arizona and Teddy lazed around, talked for a while, watched reruns of Ellen Show and went grocery shopping. So when the clock struck two pm Arizona excitedly took the stairs to reach Callie's apartment. As far as she knew, Callie had her weekend off. She knocked on the door and was greeted by her beautiful girlfriend. "Hi," Arizona said.

Callie smiled. "Hey. You didn't say you were coming over," she pointed out before pressing a kiss on Arizona's cheek.

"I only just now decided, I guess," Arizona said and looked around the apartment. Callie's roommate was sitting on the couch and munching on chips and salsa.

Cristina carefully eyed Arizona as if she was measuring her and then spoke up. "Do you want to hangout or something?"

Arizona smiled and shook her head. "I can't, sorry. I actually have plans."

Callie turned to Arizona, a little offended that she had plans without her. "You do?" she asked softly.

"I have a date," Arizona said with a big smile.

Callie's eyebrows arched. "You do?" Her voice was just above a whisper as Callie couldn't hide her disappointment and hurt anymore.

But Arizona didn't even flinch. "We are going on a date," Arizona announced. "I made a great plan. We start in a nice restaurant. Eat some amazing food. Then we take a walk around the park, because that's what we used to do. And we finish our night curled up on a couch to watch a movie. Unless you don't want to go on a date with me."

"No, no. I would love to go on a date with you," Callie said, her smile matching Arizona's. "Tonight?"

"Tonight," Arizona confirmed. "I'll pick you up at six pm. I won't be a second late or early," she promised.

Callie looked down at her yoga pants and sweat shirt. She ran her hand through her unwashed hair. She would need at least three hours to get ready. And she still needed to clean up the dishes. "That's good. Leaves me enough time to get ready," Callie said. "Should I dress comfortably or fancier?"

Arizona shrugged. "Wear your favorite going out outfit," Arizona said. "If it's a dress, or jeans, doesn't matter."

"That doesn't really help me much," Callie pouted. "But alright, I think I'll find something to wear. What are you going to wear?"

"Clothes," Arizona replied smartly and winked.

Callie groaned but realized she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted. "So I dress comfortably, but hot. And you're going to wear clothes. Is the restaurant fancy? Any details-"

"Nope, you know all you need to know," Arizona said sweetly and leaned in for a kiss. She barely grazed Callie's lips before pulling away. "I'm so excited. It's going to be awesome. I promise."

Arizona was barely able to hold her excitement throughout the day. She even ordered a bouquet of flowers. Each flower was a different kind, because she didn't know what Callie's favorite flower was. But she did plan on learning that on the date. She put on a pair of white skinny jeans and a black blouse. But she still didn't know what to do with her head. "Teddy," Arizona whined. "I can't put a scarf on, it wouldn't match."

"You could wear a beanie," Teddy offered.

"But it wouldn't match," Arizona pouted.

Teddy disappeared in her room for a few minutes before she emerged with a blue nancy beanie. "I know it's not the best looking one and it doesn't match completely, but it's the same color as your eyes."

"Where did you get this?" Arizona asked, a little in awe at the silky material.

Teddy shrugged. "After Callie shaved your head. I also got a cute headband, because it just looked really cute and there was a butterfly on it so it reminded me of you."

"That's so sweet," Arizona admitted and hugged Teddy. "Thank you so much. I know it hasn't been the easiest with me here."

"Eh, go get your girl," Teddy said. "I'm just happy that you're happy. She does make you happy right?"

Arizona nodded and smiled. She's been smiling a lot whenever she thought of Callie. "She makes me insanely happy. Even after surgery and chemo and all that stuff."

Arizona knocked on Callie's door at exactly 6 pm. She actually arrived a few minutes earlier but waited in front of the door. She was nervous. But also excited to learn more about Callie. Her breath was taken away when Callie opened the door. Callie was wearing a gorgeous dark dress. One that wasn't too fancy. "You look really pretty," Arizona said.

Callie released a shaky breath, a smile never leaving her lips. "Hi. You look beautiful as well."

Arizona reached her hand out, offering it for Callie to take. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Callie said and took Arizona's hand. "Are you seriously not telling me more about the date?"

"No," Arizona said giddily. "But you'll enjoy it." Arizona was wearing her glasses because she couldn't see very far without them. It made her a little angry but at least she was able to see. And that was enough. "Teddy lent me her car," Arizona said and unlocked the car.

"I didn't think Teddy enjoyed cars like this," Callie commented as she glanced at a beautiful Toyota Mirai. "I thought she was more of a jeep kind of girl."

"Oh yeah, she's into fast cars," Arizona said as they sat inside. "She owns a jeep as well but it's kind of old and rusty and I didn't want to take you on a date in an ugly car."

Callie laughed. "I would have gone on a date with you even if we had to take a cab or walk."

Arizona smiled but didn't say anything. She hasn't driven in a while after her accident but took the car on a spin when she went grocery shopping so she wouldn't end up looking like an idiot. She parked in front of a beautiful restaurant Canlis. She had to make a reservation, which usually wouldn't work on the same day but she pulled some strings and got a great table. They walked inside, hand in hand. "Reservations under Robbins," Arizona said.

"Of course. There's a table set by the window. Follow me."

They followed the nice lady and sat down. In winter days were shorter and nights were longer which meant there was already dark outside and their table was lit with a candle and soft light above them. "Three course meal?" Arizona asked.

"Sounds great," Callie replied as they looked through the menu. "Do you want to start with oysters maybe?"

Arizona hummed. "That would work for me." Honestly, she hasn't looked at the first and main course meals yet. She was looking through desserts. "I want soufflé," Arizona muttered.

Callie laughed. "Are you looking through desserts?"

"Yes, sorry," Arizona said shyly. "What do you think about course meals?" she changed the subject quickly.

Callie moved her chair so that instead of sitting on the opposite side of the table she was now sitting next to Arizona. "Don't apologize. I already knew you have a sweet tooth. And I was thinking Muscovy duck."

"That sounds delicious," Arizona said, licking her lips. "I kind of want a steak though."

"You can get a stake. We don't have to eat the same thing," Callie said. "How about I look through the wines since you already decided what you want for dessert?"

Arizona agreed.

Their water came and took their orders and they were finally able to relax and talk about them. Not food or drinks.

"Did you like the flowers?" Arizona suddenly asked. "I didn't know what your favorite kind is so I got you a little bit of everything."

"I like calla lilies," Callie said. "And it was beautiful, thank you. Cristina made fun of it but I think even she liked it. What's your favorite flower? For future references."

"I think begonias are pretty," Arizona answered without any thinking. "When I still worked at Hopkins, I received a lot of flowers from parents and sometimes even kids. And there was this one boy. Jonathan was his name. I was there when he was delivered. I was only an intern then. My fifth day at work. And he had a massive heart defect. He needed three surgeries and he wasn't given much time to live. But he did. He came back four years later for another surgery. One that I performed myself. He sends me a car on his birthday every year with a bouquet of begonias along with it."

Callie smiled, butterflies dancing in her stomach as she listened to Arizona talk. "You must miss work."

"Sometimes," Arizona said and shrugged. "Now more than ever. And my dad's already bullying people in town so I could get a job and stay with them. But I realized that I don't really want to leave Seattle. I have nothing but great memories here so far," she said, smiling at Callie.

"I'm sure you could get a job here," Callie said. "We'd love having you work here. I know I would miss you if you do decide to leave."

Arizona briefly leaned into Callie before straightening. "I would miss you too. Even if this is only our first date and I woke up Teddy at 6 in the morning because I needed help planning the date."

"I feel very lucky," Callie said. "Because to wake up Teddy on her day off, must mean you're either daredevil or suicidal. She nearly punched me in my face one time she fell asleep on my couch and I tried to wake her up."

"Aw," Arizona cooed. "I'm glad she didn't punch you in the face because that would lead to serious consequences." Callie raised her eyebrows. "I'd punch Teddy." Callie raised her eyebrows even higher. "I grew up with the name Arizona. I know how to fight dirty."

Callie laughed. "I believe you. But I grew up with the name Calliope so I know how to properly hold my fist."

Arizona laughed. "That makes me feel very safe," she teased and winked.

They received their plates and ate mostly in comfortable silence, just gazing at each other. Arizona couldn't stop smiling at Callie. And Callie wished she could keep the smile on Arizona's face for the rest of their lives. They shared the dessert. Well, Arizona ate most of it. After dinner they drove to the park.

"Tell me about your family," Arizona said sweetly and took Callie's hand in hers. She realized that Callie met her brother and mother but she didn't know anything about Callie's family at all.

"Okay. Uhm, my dad's a CEO at his own company. My mom comes from a wealthy family, she majored in art and business. She actually has a few paintings in the galleries but otherwise she was a stay at home mom since my sister Aria was born. They live in Miami. Last time I talked to my sister, she was still studying. She's pretty smart but she's a party girl. I don't really talk much with them anymore. They understand that I'm busy but I guess we never really had a close relationship. I still call my dad every Sunday but that's all," Callie rambled about her family. She loved them, she really did. But she was also okay without them.

"So you're like super rich?" Arizona asked.

Callie laughed. "My parents are rich. I mean, I have a huge trust fund but I don't really use it. I prefer to live on my own salary."

Arizona smiled. "I think that's pretty great. You use what you work for. There were a lot of people in Hopkins that grew up privileged and ended up snotty and rude. So I'm very glad that you're not like that."

"Thank you," Callie replied. She saw Arizona shiver so she let go of her hand and put her arm over Arizona's shoulders. "Do you want to end our date? You're shivering."

Arizona shook her head. "I'm having so much fun, I don't want to go yet."

"Your body has been under a lot of stress lately and hypothermia really wouldn't make things better," Callie said softly as she pulled Arizona tighter on her side so they could share her body heat.

"Do you want to come over? Stay the night?" Arizona suddenly asked.

Callie's eyes widened. "What?"

"Not like that," Arizona said quickly. "We'd just… Watch a movie and cuddle and sleep. Please," she said, giving Callie her best pouting face.

Callie nodded. "Okay." She followed Arizona to the car and they drove to the apartment building even though it wasn't far from the park. But Arizona was already cold and Callie hoped she would warm up in the car.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to stay," Arizona started saying, once they were in the elevator. "I just thought it'd be nice. But if you want to go home, then you should."

"I want to stay," Callie admitted.

Arizona smiled, her arms wrapping around Callie's. "Good." They entered the apartment and Arizona looked around confused. She was expecting Teddy to be home. There was a note in the hallway.

 _Got paged. I hope you enjoyed your date. Don't worry about me, I'll crash in an on call room. –T_

"Do you want to shower?" Arizona asked. "You could use Teddy's bathroom and I have some clothes that are comfortable to sleep in."

"That'd be great actually," Callie said. She pecked Arizona's lips and followed her in the bedroom. Arizona passed her a t-shirt and sweatpants. "Thank you. I'll be quick."

"I'll take a shower too," Arizona said. They both took a shower and Arizona was quicker so she settled in the bed with the remote in her hand as she waited for Callie. Her head was covered by a beanie the whole night but she took it off and suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Sorry I took so long," Callie said, breathless. "I usually take really long showers." She felt a little nervous and hesitant and laid down on the edge of the bed with her heart pounding against her chest.

Arizona giggled. "Calliope, you can scoot closer you know."

Callie blushed. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm really nervous even though I know that I don't have to be."

"I'm nervous too," Arizona admitted. As Callie got closer she moved one of her legs between Callie's and placed her hand over Callie's stomach. "I'm really glad you decided to stay. And that you agreed on going on a date with me."

Callie moved her head on the side, her nose rubbing against Arizona's. "There's no chance that I would say no on going on a date with you."

Arizona smiled before capturing Callie's lips with her own. Her hand slid under Callie's t-shirt feeling the goose bumps her touch was leaving behind. Callie's hand was on her other hand, fingers intertwined. Arizona has never felt more at ease with anyone else.

Callie pulled away from the kiss, her lips sliding down Arizona's neck before she gently bit right between Arizona's collarbones and was rewarded with a strangled moan. "I think I found your sweet spot," Callie teased.

Arizona nodded, her heart racing. She released a long breath before laughing. "It took me by surprise," she said honestly. She moved her head on Callie's chest, listening to her heart beat. Callie's hand was on Arizona's back, drawing random patterns that lured Arizona to sleep. "I could fall in love with you," Arizona uttered sleepily.

Callie wasn't sure whether her heart stopped or sped up but she was certainly having a reaction to Arizona's words. She wasn't sure if she was already asleep or not but Callie said it anyway. "I could fall in love with you too."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: One more chapter left. Unbelievable. I'm sorry that there's no rated M content but it just didn't feel like it would fit in this type of story.

* * *

Arizona was finally doing much better. Her hair grew back. At least to the point where she could say it was no longer just peach fuzz. And yet, she was still in Seattle. Without a job. She didn't want to leave Callie and she really didn't want to go home to be smothered by her parents.

"Hey, you've got mail," Teddy said as she entered the apartment after she went in the lobby to check on the mail. "Three letters in fact."

Arizona scrunched her face. "Why did I get mail?" Teddy threw the letters at her but didn't say anything. Arizona checked where the letters came from. "I think these are job offers," Arizona said, shocked. "It's from Hopkins and the small hospital from my parents' town and there's one from Seattle Grace."

Teddy was surprised too. "But that's great. Not only can you choose where you work, you can actually go back to work."

"I know. Oh, wow. Teddy, I don't know how to respond to these."

Teddy laughed. "How about you actually read them first? Maybe they have more information inside."

Arizona sent a glare in Teddy's direction before quickly looking back at the letters. She contacted Johns Hopkins after her surgery was a success but she didn't think they would offer her her old job back. "I want to read these with Callie."

"Why?" Teddy asked, curiously. "And before you say something snippy, I'm not judging."

Arizona shrugged. "We've been in a relationship for some time now. And we do everything together. I'm pretty sure Callie is here more than you. And if I decide to take any of these jobs, including Seattle Grace, things will change."

"Maybe you should get your own place," Teddy suggested.

"I've been thinking about it," Arizona admitted. "And if I do take the job here, I will get my own place. Preferably somewhere close since everyone seems to live in this apartment building."

"You'll take the job here," Teddy stated. "Because you don't care about the money, or position. You told me before that nothing's tying you back to Hopkins and that you don't want to live with your parents. And Callie's here. And you love Callie."

Arizona's eyes widened. "Teddy! You can't just say it out loud when I haven't told her yet. These walls are a lot thinner than you think. And what if Callie and I break up? Then I'd stay here for nothing."

"You won't break up. Beside, you've got friends here too. And you've already seen how great our pediatric department is. But I'm not going to keep convincing you because I'd like it if there was a fair fight on which hospital you'll pick," Teddy teased. Because it was almost painfully obvious.

"I don't want to think about hospitals right now. I'm going to make lunch and surprise my beautiful girlfriend at work," Arizona said. "Do you have like a picnic basket or something?"

Teddy laughed. "I don't do picnics. I have like a ton of bags though."

"Bags aren't romantic," Arizona complained. "You gotta have a picnic basket, seriously. Do you live under the rocks?"

Teddy rolled her eyes. "Okay, I think there might be one in the hall closet but I've never used it and it looks kind of rusty."

Arizona opened the hall closet. "Oh god Teddy, do you ever open up this closet? It smells like something died in here. And there's spider web everywhere. This is gross."

"I've opened it once when I got the apartment. You can tell that I don't use it. And there's something creepy about it so I wouldn't have it opened for too long," Teddy said and shrugged.

Arizona found the picnic basket and took it out using just two fingers and squealing in disgust. "I'm getting you a maid so she can clean this closet up. I can't believe you live like this. I trusted you."

Teddy laughed. "Yeah, yeah, don't be overdramatic. You can clean it out yourself, if you wish."

"No, thank you. I'm going to wash the basket though because by surprising my girl I didn't mean giving her some disease," Arizona teased and went in the bathroom to wash the picnic basket. Arizona didn't cook but she ordered pizza and put some pizza slices in the basket. She did make a salad and added that. Of course she wouldn't leave a dessert out of lunch. Muffins she made the day before and were absolutely delicious. "Okay, I'm going to the hospital now," she told Teddy who was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"Have fun," Teddy said. "And no dirty things in the hospital rooms, some of us have to work there."

Arizona groaned. "You promised you would stop teasing me about that. You know Callie and I haven't done it yet and you're way too entertained by that. I'm not telling you things ever again."

"I think it's sweet," Teddy defended herself. "I mean, you like to sleep with girls early in the relationship and nothing's wrong with that. And Callie's pretty fast with that too. So to say you've been dating for almost three months now and still haven't had sex means you're waiting for the right moment."

"You should think less about my sex life and more about yours," Arizona said and winked. "Have a good day, roomie."

Teddy huffed. "I hope you never get laid!" she yelled after Arizona.

Arizona arrived to the hospital and took the elevator to the orthopedic surgical floor. She knew where Callie's office was. And she could only hope Callie had enough time for a lunch. Or she'd wait for her. "Hi, would you mind paging Doctor Torres to her office whenever she's free?" Arizona asked sweetly at the nurses' station.

"She's just finishing her surgery. She should be done in ten minutes."

Arizona smiled. "Thank you." Ten minutes gave her enough time to set up the coffee table in Callie's office and light up a few candles to make it more romantic.

Callie entered her office, expecting another consult for an important athlete, but instead Arizona was standing in front of her, a single calla lily in her hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you lunch," Arizona replied. "Which is really just pizza and salad. And also muffins. That I made on my own, from scratch."

Callie laughed and kissed Arizona on her lips. "Thank you for surprising me. And with pizza too. Best girlfriend ever." She sat down on the couch. "Is this just because you're awesome or did I forget some anniversary?" Callie suddenly asked, squinting her eyes as she thought of all important dates.

"You didn't forget any anniversaries," Arizona said, sitting down next to Callie. "I just thought maybe we could have lunch together. And uhm, I actually wanted to talk to you about something. But not now. Later, when you get home."

Callie grabbed a slice of pizza. "So you surprised me with food and then later you want to talk? Should I be worried?"

"No, no. It's nothing bad. I promise," Arizona smiled. "Now, eat."

They ate their lunch rather quickly because Callie didn't have a whole lot of time but they did share a few laughs and kisses in between eating. Eventually Arizona had to pack up.

Callie gently grabbed Arizona's wrist and pulled her on her lap which made Arizona squeal. "Just a proper thanks," she husked before capturing Arizona's bottom lips between hers.

Arizona sighed in the kiss at the wonderful feeling. Callie proved herself to be an extraordinary kisser and Arizona couldn't get enough of her. Her hands wrapped in Callie's hair and she felt Callie's hand in her own, much shorter, hair. She quickly learned Callie loved touching and tugging onto hair. She couldn't get her to stop. But nothing made her feel as warm and loved as Callie playing with her hair to get her to sleep. But what it did right now was arouse. And it took a long time for Arizona to be able to get to this point. To feel pretty enough. She had to pull from the kiss, her breaths coming out as panting.

Callie continued her journey with her lips along her jaw, down her neck and between her collarbones where Arizona's sweet stop was. And then she felt Arizona's hips rock against her which made her smirk. "Maybe we should stop."

"We should," Arizona agreed, catching her breath.

Callie's pager went off, startling them. "Sorry," Callie quickly apologized. "It's 911 though, so I have to go." She hesitantly pushed Arizona off her lap and stood up. She fixed her lab coat. "I'll still see you tonight?"

Arizona nodded. "Absolutely. Go, be a rock star," she cheered her girlfriend on and gave her a final kiss. "I'll clean this up and meet you at home." She urged Callie to leave the office and put in the basket everything she didn't manage before Callie pulled her in for a kiss. She even left Callie a little note.

 _Thank you for finding time to have lunch with me. I left you a muffin on your desk in case you want something to munch on later. You're an absolute rock star. And a hot one too.  
\- the best girlfriend ever, Arizona  
_  
Arizona even scribbled a heart next to the note. God, she was so dorky when it came to this woman. Well, she has always been the dorky one in relationships. But this relationship felt different. Arizona went home where she found Teddy in the exact same position as she was in when she left. "Don't you have work?"

"Night shift," Teddy said and shrugged. "But I do have a date tonight." Arizona looked at her in disbelief, her eyes squinting at Teddy. "What? I do date! And if you really have to know it's with that buddy of your brother. Henry. He's really funny. And sweet."

Arizona smiled. "Ah, I'm the best matchmaker."

Teddy snorted. "Please. I totally have the credits for you and Callie's relationship. Without me you guys would be barely talking to each other."

"That's not true." Arizona frowned. Was it?

"Yes, it is. Look, you're confident and you just go for it but Callie likes to think things through and she would probably be put off by your spontaneousness. But the way you came together now worked for both of you, so you shouldn't take this as a negative comment," Teddy explained.

Arizona huffed. "You should go to work."

Teddy laughed. "Fine, pout away."

"I'm not pouting," Arizona argued weakly. Because she knew she was. "I'm going to make dinner because Callie is coming over tonight and you won't get any."

"Callie's here all the time anyway," Teddy said and shrugged. "And don't you think that I don't know you've been eating my cereal. You could blame on Finn before but I'm onto you now."

Arizona smiled innocently and batted with her eyelashes. "I don't know what you're talking about." With that she moved in the kitchen. She truly felt like tonight was her night with Callie. "What would you cook for a guy if you wanted to have sex with him?"

"I don't cook," Teddy said. "Why are you even asking me this?"

"I think tonight might be the night. For you know, me and Callie. And if she's coming over she's obviously going to be hungry," Arizona said. "My cooking abilities are limited. I can't serve her pasta. That's just sad."

"Serve her fries," Teddy said and shrugged. "I mean, it's Callie. You could feed her Kraft mac and cheese and she would still be happy."

"Maybe I should take her out," Arizona said. She nodded to herself. "I should definitely take her out. But if I do that, she might be too tired for any sexy things that could happen. It's best if we stay in."

"You're overthinking this," Teddy said, rolling her eyes. "Look, she said she'll come over. That doesn't mean she's expecting things to happen. She's been over every night for the past two months."

Arizona threw herself on the couch left to Teddy, her head hanging off the edge. "You're making so much sense that I actually hate you. And we still need to talk about the letters."

"You'll be fine. Now, for once maybe you can help me prepare for my date."

Arizona gladly did that because it gave her something to do and to focus on something else other than her anxiety about her plans with Callie. It also made her realize that Teddy had really nice clothes in her closet and yet rarely wore them. After Teddy was off with her date, Arizona laid on the couch and watched TV to kill time. Arizona knew that watching the news made her sleepy but nothing else better was on. So she fell asleep.

Callie knocked on the door for nearly a minute and no one answered her. She knew Teddy was on a date but Arizona was supposed to be come. She also wasn't replying to any texts or answering calls. Callie turned the doorknob and realized the door was unlocked. She walked in further, fearing something happened to her girlfriend only to find her out passed out on the couch. Callie smiled, feeling the butterflies flutter in her stomach. Much like they did every time she was around her. She knelt down in front of Arizona, gently stroking pale cheek with her thumb. "Wake up baby," she murmured. Arizona scrunched her nose which made Callie laugh. "C'mon. You can sleep in bed."

Arizona briefly registered Callie calling her baby but she was having such wonderful dreams that she didn't want to wake up. Dreams about Callie and a chubby little girl with gorgeous dark hair and Callie's olive skin.

"It's really rude to invite people over and then just sleep," Callie continued. "And if you sleep now, you won't sleep at night."

"That's not true," Arizona replied, her words muffled. "Because you'll play with my hair until I get sleepy."

Callie laughed. "Not if you'll sleep now. Come on. I even got us dinner because I had an emergency surgery and ran a little late. You love take out."

"What kind?" Arizona asked and blinked sleepily a few times before she reached over and picked up her glasses from the coffee table.

"Chipotle, which I believe is your dirty pleasure. And because I love you so much I got you the kid's menu because I know you loved building your own taco." Callie didn't even think twice about what she said. Not until Arizona's blue eyes popped open, staring at her wildly that she thought about what she said. "I didn't… I mean… I do but I didn't want to say it like that," Callie stuttered.

"Do you mean it?" Arizona asked, her voice sounding like a little girl's.

Callie nodded and nervously licked her lips. "I love you."

Arizona's smile grew, her dimples popping as she laughed happily. "I love you too. And I love you even more because you know me so well that you got me a build my own chipotle order." She grabbed Callie by her shirt collar and pulled her down for a kiss.

"I figured my lady deserves it since she surprised me with a beautiful lunch," Callie teased, straightening her back. "And I especially loved that muffin with a little heart on it that you left. And the note."

Arizona shrugged. "What can I say? I'm awesome."

Callie laughed, shoving Arizona's shoulder with her own. "Very modest too. We can eat dinner and then you can tell me what you've been planning to tell me all day. Which I am still worried about but I trust you."

"I promise that it's nothing bad," Arizona said.

They didn't get much talking done that night. As they settled into bed Arizona couldn't stop kissing Callie and Callie's hands were wandering over her body more than usually. It's like they lost a track of time because all Arizona could suddenly think of was having a sweaty Callie on top of her. Or maybe that was the reality. Because even in Arizona's dreams Callie's moans didn't sound so… almost illegal.

"That was," Callie started breathless. "Wow."

Arizona laughed, her head resting on Callie's heaving chest. "Yeah. Definitely wow. Why did we wait so long to do this?"

"We were idiots," Callie said, her fingers tracing the freckles on Arizona's back.

Arizona rolled over on top of Callie, shuddering slightly when Callie's leg fell between her legs. "We should do it again. And again. And again. To make up for all the times we lost," she teased before moving her lips on Callie's neck.

Callie's head fell backwards, her eyes closing. "We should," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Arizona stopped for a moment, making Callie open her eyes. "But can we talk tomorrow?"

"We will talk tomorrow," Callie promised. "We can stop and talk now if it would make you feel better."

"No, not stopping," Arizona said determined. "We're just talking tomorrow."

Callie woke up first to the sound of her alarm. She was surprised Arizona was still dead to the world. Callie carefully removed Arizona's arm from her waist and got out of bed. She grabbed her phone and called the Chief, making up an excuse to skip work. Afterwards she went in the kitchen and made coffee.

Arizona woke up to cold bed which made her pout. Callie's clothes weren't on the floor anymore so Arizona put on her brother's t-shirt and underwear before walking in the kitchen. She expected to see Teddy. "What are you still doing here?"

Callie took a sip of her coffee before quickly kissing Arizona's lips and passing her a cup. "Not happy to see me? I took the day off. Since you wanted to talk."

"You shouldn't have taken a day off just for me," Arizona whined, feeling guilty about making Callie miss work. "What will the chief say? I'm being a bad influence on you."

Callie shrugged. "I said I have an appointment at the gynecologist. They never question that."

Arizona laughed. "But wouldn't they know? Or do you have a gynecologist at a different hospital?"

"Different hospital. Trust me, you should never be working in a hospital and have your lady parts doctor working in the same building and have your female coworkers visit that same doctor. That's just weird," Callie said and shuddered at the thought.

"I once dated a gynecologist. I mean, obviously she wasn't my doctor," Arizona quickly stated. "It didn't last very long and after a while the sex got weird and it felt clinical. We broke up pretty fast afterwards."

Callie laughed loudly, throwing her head back. "Moral of the story is don't date your doctors."

Arizona laughed too. "That's smart."

"So what did you want to talk about?" Callie asked. "Because I'm really curious and I don't think I can not know for a moment longer."

Arizona went in the living room and grabbed her letters. She put them in front of Callie on the bar counter. "These are job offers. For me. Hopkins. Seattle Grace Mercy West and Washington Adventist Hospital. And I wanted to talk to you about them because no matter what I pick, it affects us."

Callie released a shaky breath. "I don't want to limit you. Or hold you down. If you want to be with your parents, you can. Or if you want to go back to Hopkins. But Seattle Grace is in the top 5 best teaching hospitals."

"Exactly," Arizona said. "I don't want to live with my parents. And I don't think I want to work in a tiny hospital. But I've already worked at Hopkins and the position they're offering me is less than what I've had before. And Seattle is… here. And you're here. And they're offering me the head position."

Callie took Arizona's hand. "What do you wanna do? Don't think about me. Just think which offer makes you the most excited."

Arizona closed her eyes. Seattle. Baltimore. Gaithersburg. She immediately crossed off the last one from her list. She loved her parents. But she needed to be independent and that meant not taking the job her dad got her. Seattle. Baltimore. Arizona has already worked at Hopkins. She already got everything she needed from there. Seattle was her new start. Her surgery was a success. She trusted the people and the facility. "I made my decision," Arizona said, excitedly.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: This is the last chapter. I can't believe it. I've had a lot of fun writing this short story. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Thank you for all the great reviews. I'll be back soon though, with new stories, but it might take a while because right now the busiest time and the most important exams are ahead of me.

Irrelevant but I still want to share this with you: I have fallen in love with Alycia Debnam-Carey. You may know her from The 100 or Fear the Walking Dead. She's such a sweetheart and I need to stop loving celebrities.

* * *

Arizona burst into Teddy's apartment, the door loudly hitting a wall. "I think Callie's going to propose," she announced.

Teddy turned around from where she was sitting behind her breakfast bar with her boyfriend Henry next to her. "Hello to you too. Especially since you haven't lived here for over a year now. And why are you saying that?"

"Hi. And hi to you Henry. Anyway, she's been acting weird. Like staring at me while I sleep weird. And she did this when she asked me to move in with her. So I think she's definitely planning something," Arizona explained before opening Teddy's fridge and grabbing a yogurt.

"Maybe you should talk to her," Teddy suggested. "And also don't you have food in your own apartment?"

Arizona shrugged. "Probably we do. But the thing is, I don't want to ask her. What if it's about babies again? I mean, I know I said I'm opened to it and I am but not now. I meant in like five years. Maybe seven."

"You're being ridiculous. Why is it so important if Callie proposes or not? You love her right?"

"Because I want to be the one that proposes first," Arizona blurted out. "And I'm not there yet. I have a speech briefly prepared, but not ready yet. And I don't have a ring yet. "

Teddy groaned. "Lesbians," she muttered under her breath. "Why does it matter who proposes to who? And maybe she's not even planning anything and you're just overreacting."

Arizona furrowed her eyebrows. "Maybe you're right. If you are it means I still have time to make plans on my own. Thank you." She quickly hugged Teddy before stealing an apple from her fruit bowl.

Teddy grunted. "Weirdo," she muttered under her breath.

Arizona ran up the stairs to where Callie's apartment was. Their apartment. No sounds were coming from it so she unlocked the door. As she walked further inside she did hear muffled curses. "Callie? What are you doing?"

"Crap, crap, crap," Callie muttered. "You're early. Why are you early?" she asked.

Arizona raised her eyebrows. "I'm coming in," she warned. She was taken aback by the sight that greeted her. Clothes were thrown everywhere and Callie was wearing nothing but skimpy underwear. "Well hello. This should greet me every day. And I rocked my surgery so I finished sooner. What are you doing?"

Callie blushed. "I wanted to take you out. I made reservations and everything. We both have three days off afterwards and I figured we could start with a nice fancy meal."

"Please tell me you weren't going through dresses and thinking you don't look breathtaking in each and everyone one," Arizona said. "If you want to go out we can just go to Joe's. Eat some burgers, drink alcohol, and relax. We don't have to go to a fancy restaurant. Although, if you want to wear a dress I am not against that." She walked closer to Callie, her lips right over her ear. "I love you in red," she whispered.

Callie shivered and closed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head. "No, no. I had the whole evening planned. Nice, romantic restaurant with some wine although we could go to Joe's afterwards."

Arizona laughed. "Okay. So we go to your fancy restaurant and then we can do some dancing at Joe's. I know you love to dance. And I feel like blowing some steam off tonight." Or do anything she could to make sure Callie wasn't going to propose. She watched Callie put on a gorgeous red dress while she put a blue one. She knew Callie loved her in blue.

At first it seemed like a normal dinner without any intensions but every time Arizona looked over at Callie the other woman blushed and looked as if she wanted to say something really important. Arizona really didn't want to make Callie feel bad but she needed to stop the proposal. In the restaurant she could tell Callie was too nervous to say anything so she relaxed for a moment and shared a meal with her beautiful girlfriend.

Callie laughed nervously, which wasn't like Callie at all. "Do you want to go to Joe's?"

Arizona momentarily regretted making that decision before they went out for dinner because Joe's bar was safe. It was comfortable. And if Callie didn't dare to say anything now she was sure going to say something then. But Arizona loved Callie and she did want to share a dance with her. "Okay. But you owe me at least one dance."

Callie smiled. "If you'll be good you will get at least one dance." Her lips pressed against Arizona's air. "Maybe even one of a more intimate type," she breathed out.

Arizona swallowed audibly and groaned. "Tease," she muttered out and relaxed back in the seat of the car as they drove from the restaurant to the bar. It was Friday after all and she was sure they weren't going to be alone in the bar. Arizona just had to drink enough to keep interrupting Callie. Maybe get her all hot and bothered and by the next morning Arizona would have her own proposal plan. They entered the bar, hand in hand. "I'll order drinks," Arizona offered.

Callie grinned. "Okay. I'll get us a table. And just one shot of tequila. I already drank some wine."

Arizona nodded and gently kissed Callie's lips. "I'll get you anything you wish." She walked to the bar. "Can I get some tequila shots please?" she asked, flashing Joe her best smile.

He laughed. "I'll carry it to your table."

"Thanks," Arizona said cheerfully and turned around to search for Callie. Callie was sitting at a table in the corner, her fingers fumbling with a black box before Callie quickly put it away and raised her head. Arizona pretended to just turn around and walked towards Callie with a smirk. "Want a dance?"

Callie licked her lips. "Drinks first and then we can dance as long as you want to," she promised.

Many tequila shots later Arizona dragged Callie on the dance floor for the fifth time although her body kept betraying her under the influence of alcohol. She planned on stopping after the third shot, she really did. She somewhat stumbled and then giggled as Callie caught her. "Ops," she said.

"What has gotten into you today? You've been acting strange," Callie pointed out but wasn't sure Arizona comprehended her question when in return all she got was laughter. "We're going home."

Arizona pouted and whined at the same time. "Nooo. I'm fine," she slurred.

Callie raised her eyebrows. "We're going home before you start throwing up." Arizona suddenly raised her arms, throwing her jacket at Callie. "Or getting naked." She has seen Arizona drunk only once before, after they celebrated her scans coming back clean after a year since treatment. And even then Arizona was merely tipsy. Callie drove them home and helped Arizona in the apartment. "Why did you drink so much?"

"I didn't," Arizona said and then stopped walking to squint at Callie. "You have two heads and you still look absolutely miraculous. Unfair."

Callie laughed but felt her cheeks flush. "To bed we go."

Arizona threw herself on bed and groaned in comfort. "So cold. And comfortable. The world stopped spinning as well."

Callie leaned over to help Arizona undress when her ring box fell from her pocket in the jacket and on the bed. Callie's eyes widened and she cursed. Arizona heard that and rolled over. "No!" Callie yelped.

Arizona looked at Callie with an adorable confused face and dug around the bed for whatever just poked her in the ribs. She found the box, not at all surprised. But she did open it, a small gasp escaping her lips. "It's so pretty," she cooed.

"Wait, you should be more surprised," Callie said suspiciously. "You knew? How did you know? Is that why you got drunk? So I couldn't propose?" Her wide eyes gave out the fear of being rejected.

Arizona giggled. "No. I mean, I suspected. I want to propose to you Calliope Iphegenia Torres. You saved me." Arizona sighed dreamily as she looked at the ring.

Callie however couldn't just stand there and watch Arizona look at the ring she was supposed to slip on her finger after a romantic speech. Callie roughly snapped the box closed and took it away. "Is that why you kept distracting me all night? So I wouldn't propose? I don't understand."

"No, no," Arizona argued. "I did want you to propose, I really did. I'm so in love with you Calliope. But I wanted to be the one that proposes. You deserve a romantic gesture like that."

"Saying yes would be equally amazing," Callie muttered.

Apparently Arizona's sobering up was a past as she hopelessly giggled into her pillow. "I'll always say yes," she said before laughing again when she tried to stand up but ended up hitting her face in the pillow.

Callie sighed. She helped Arizona settle on the bed. Callie turned around, feeling a bit betrayed.

"Calliope?" Arizona called out suddenly, frantically trying to sit up. "Are you going to leave me?"

Callie turned around and sat down on the bed. "Of course not. I thought you were going to fall asleep." Arizona tugged on her hips which made Callie lay down and she snuggled next to Arizona. "Better?"

"Aha," Arizona replied, her eyes already closing. "I would have said yes no matter what," she admitted softly before burying her face in the crook of Callie's neck.

The next morning Callie woke up first which wasn't really a surprise. She set a glass of water and an ibuprofen on the nightstand for Arizona. Callie went in the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. She sighed to herself. She was supposed to be celebrating her engagement to Arizona today. Everything was supposed to go smoothly. Except, she never got to ask the question.

Arizona woke up and stretched, expecting to find Callie next to her but her side of the bed was already cold. Arizona sat up and smirked when she noticed water and pills. Arizona never had hangovers. And she remembered everything that happened last night and felt rather bad when she saw the crushed look on Callie's face. Arizona stood up and walked in the kitchen. "Morning," she said perkily.

Callie jumped at the unexpected voice and turned around, one hand over her heart. "You scared me," she rasped out before clearing her throat. "And why are you so happy? You were pretty drunk last night."

Arizona shrugged. "I don't get hangovers," she admitted and walked closer. She placed a soft kiss on Callie's lips before embracing her. She sighed in content when Callie's arms wrapped around her in return.

Callie kissed the top of Arizona's head. "You okay?" Because although Arizona was someone who loved cuddling it was more in the evenings than in the mornings.

"I'm great," Arizona said and shot Callie a dazzling smile. "Are you okay?"

Callie nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?" And in that moment she knew that Arizona remembered everything from last night. That Arizona knew she was planning on proposing and then Arizona rolled over on the ring box and even looked at the ring. The ring that she spent weeks searching for.

"Good," Arizona said. She leaned on her tiptoes and kissed Callie. It started out soft, gentle. And then suddenly Arizona found herself sitting on the counter with Callie's hands rubbing her thighs. Arizona pulled away from the kiss to breathe and when she leaned her head back Callie was placing hot, burning kisses over her neck until nibbling on the skin between her collarbones. Arizona released a throaty moan and threaded her fingers in Callie's messy hair.

Callie laughed against Arizona's neck and placed one final kiss on the soft skin there before locking her eyes with Arizona's. "I'm kind of jealous that you don't get hangovers."

"It's a gift really," Arizona replied teasingly. Her fingers danced dangerously low on Callie's V-neck shirt's collar.

Callie gently pried Arizona's hand away from her shirt. "Drink some coffee and eat some breakfast."

"I was enjoying where this was going," Arizona murmured and locked her ankles around Callie to keep her close to her. "You know I love you right?" she asked gently, afraid that she hurt Callie the day before even if they weren't ready to talk about it.

"I love you too," Callie replied without missing a beat. "Nothing's going to change that. Now, please eat your breakfast and maybe we can continue this later. In the bed." Her last sentence was whispered in Arizona's ear causing her to visibly shiver.

Arizona jumped off the counter and sat down by the table. As they ate breakfast in silence Arizona kept glancing at Callie and tried to find a way to approach the subject they've both been dreading to talk about. "Calliope," Arizona breathed out.

Callie merely hummed her reply and didn't even look up from her plate.

"If there's anything you want to ask me, you can," Arizona said hesitantly but didn't regret her words.

Callie's eyes opened widely. "No, I'm fine," she squeaked out. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

Arizona held back a smile. "No, I'm fine," she repeated Callie's words.

Callie huffed. She wasn't angry. Not really. Because this was playful and she knew Arizona had her reasons and why the blonde felt like she needed to be the one to make that step. "Okay then."

Arizona felt a little bad. She could have let Callie propose and they would be celebrating right now. Arizona took the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. She walked over to the chair Callie was sitting on and wrapped her arms around Callie's chest from behind. "Want to go back to bed?" she asked before kissing Callie on the neck.

Almost instantly Callie's head moved to the other side to allow Arizona her exploration before her mind registered the question. "I'll join you in five minutes."

Arizona nodded. She had five minutes to make everything better. To fix the situation. Arizona ran in the bedroom and tried to remember where Callie put the ring box. She checked the drawers and found the box inside of Callie's folded lucky pair of socks. She always wore those socks when she had an important surgery or a meeting. Arizona opened the box and smiled at the ring. It looked even more gorgeous now that it wasn't blurred by her intoxication. She couldn't help it. Arizona gingerly took the ring out of its box as if it would break any moment now and slid it down her ringer finger. It fit so perfectly. The sparkling blue was in perfect contrast against her pale hand. And she knew she was never going to take the ring off. She heard Callie's footsteps approaching the bedroom and quickly shut the drawer but kept the ring where it belonged. On her finger. She jumped on the bed and slid under covers, keeping her left hand covered for now.

Callie chuckled. "I didn't think you meant sleep."

Arizona smirked. "I didn't say anything about sleeping." And with that she pulled down her shorts and underwear and threw them across the bedroom.

"Oh," Callie muttered as her eyes widened. "Undressing you is my favorite part." She moved on the bed and under the covers as well. She rolled over on top of Arizona's and intertwined her hand with Arizona's left one while leaning down for a kiss. Their hands came to rest above their heads and it wasn't until Arizona's lips were moving over her neck that she caught a glimpse of something sparkling on Arizona's hand. Her eyes widened and she sat up although still straddling Arizona's hips. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Arizona asked innocently as she tried to pull Callie back down on top of her.

Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and inspected her finger. "You're wearing my ring. I didn't give it to you. Where did you find it?"

Arizona could sense Callie's anxiety and sat up, leaning against the headboard. "Calliope, breathe." She intertwined their fingers together. "I know what I did yesterday was mean and uncomfortable for you and I'm so sorry. But I saw the ring before falling asleep and I couldn't imagine it anywhere else but on my finger. Calliope, I love you more than anything. And I would be honored to be called your fiancée if you still want me to be."

Callie couldn't not smile at Arizona because this was the dorkiest proposal she has ever heard. Callie leaned for a kiss and laughed against Arizona's pink lips, sharing the taste of happiness. She took the ring off her finger. "Although, this is definitely not how I imagined, I think it beats the nerve wrecking public speech I had prepared. And considering you're under me, half naked." Arizona playfully slapped her arm making Callie chuckled. "Arizona Robbins, even though you tried everything to stop me from proposing first, then got drunk and even rolled over on the ring, will you marry me?"

"Yes," Arizona replied excitedly. "I'll marry you," she said and then laughed when Callie slipped the ring where it belonged. "This is going to be awkward to explain to our children."

Callie grinned. "We'll just have to wait till they're 18," she replied. "I am more worried about what our parents will think."

Arizona shrugged. "By that time I will put a ring on your finger and we can just share my proposal story."

"So sure of yourself," Callie husked out as she leaned over to kiss Arizona's neck. "And if I say no?"

"You wouldn't," Arizona said confidently. "And even if you do, we're already engaged," she teased, wiggling the fingers on her left hand. Her smile disappeared though as she got serious. "I love you so much. And I can't wait to be your wife."

Callie placed her hand on Arizona's cheek, stroking her thumb along Arizona's cheekbone. "I love you too. And I can't wait until you're my wife. Hopefully you'll be more cooperative then," she teased. Arizona laughed making Callie smile. "I think we should stop talking now otherwise it's a waste of your nakedness."

Arizona scooted down and laid down with Callie hovering over her. "Then stop talking," she ordered and pulled Callie down for a kiss. She couldn't believe how far she has come since she first met Callie. She was insecure and terrified, right before a life altering surgery, and Callie was the friend she needed. And now she just got engaged to her. It's funny the way faith works. If the accident wouldn't happen she would most likely still be with Lauren, unhappy and unmotivated. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you," Arizona whispered against Callie's plump lips. She heard the way Callie's breath caught in her throat and it made her smile. She brought their laced fingers to her lips and pressed a kiss on Callie's palm. Her smile only widened when she saw the ring sparkling between their fingers.


End file.
